The largest union in Nova Scotia says five home-care workers have been forced into self-isolation after they were potentially exposed to COVID-19 in a client’s home.
Jason MacLean, president of the Nova Scotia General Employees Union, told Global News the union learned of possible exposure on Thursday.
“We just received word that five home-care workers have been directed to self isolate because they were in a home of a client whose family member has tested positive for COVID”, MacLean said.
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MacLean wouldn’t disclose what home-care agency has been impacted by the self-isolation measures, or what part of the province the possible exposure occurred in.
Dr. Robert Strang, the provincial chief medical officer of health, says all home-care workers are at risk of COVID-19 exposure.
“We have a robust guidance document both for long-term care facilities and home-care organizations, that infection control experts here in the province have provided significant input into as well as my public health colleagues,” he said.
MacLean says he’s heard concerns from home-care workers that clients aren’t being honest about whether or not they’ve had potential exposure to COVID-19 and are adhering to public health guidelines.
“One thing they’re running into is not every client is truthful. When travel was an issue they had people that were traveling in their houses. So, now they have to get people checked in their houses and an issue that they’re running into is when they go into a home, there’s other people in there and they won’t leave the area,” MacLean said.
MacLean says the union has instructed their members to leave a client’s home if other members of the household refuse to give the home-care workers appropriate space.
The provincial health department says all home-care agencies have been provided with an Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for COVID-19 for Home and Community Care.
Those guidelines were distributed to home care agencies on March 20 by the NSHA.
MacLean says home-care workers were asking for guidelines and safety protocols well before March 20 and criticizes the fact the department distributed the document after COVID-19 cases had already been confirmed in the province.
The first three cases of COVID-19 were announced in Nova Scotia on March 15.
“There was no plan at all, there was no plan in place. Things were ramping up for acute care, but I was bringing up long-term care and home care with the department and they were giving us no answers,” MacLean said.
The health department says an updated version of the Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for COVID-19 as it relates to home care were updated on March 26.
The NSHA already had an information session for home-care agencies with public health officials. Another information session is currently being organized with infection prevention and control experts.
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