Screening, reduced spaces part of Hamilton’s ‘gradual’ reopening of child-care centres

The City of Hamilton says it’s begun preparing a framework for a “gradual” reopening of 234 child-care centres across the region.

In a release on Thursday, the city and public health say all centres will be required to follow strict health protocols and meet additional requirements to safely reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic as per the province’s announcement on Tuesday.

“So just to be clear, it’s not our own guidelines. Locally, we’ll be following the provincial guidelines and there are still a few unknowns in that following the announcement,” Hamilton’s emergency operations centre (EOC) director Paul Johnson said during the city’s COVID-19 update on Tuesday.

The city’s medical officer of health says enhanced cleaning, mandatory screening of staff and children, limitations on visitors, and ensuring an updated COVID-19 response plan are some of the protocols that will be required by the 94 organizations operating child-care facilities across the city.

Additionally, staff will also be required to complete mandatory training and all licensed providers in the city will also have to complete and pass a public health inspection prior to reopening.

Of the 14,000 child-care spaces available, the city says that number is expected to be “greatly reduced” in order to meet new provincial protocols. The size of groups will be limited to 10 individuals per room at any daycare, including both staff and children, according to public health.

“The Province’s announcement regarding reopening plans for child care centres is encouraging for both the economy, as well as for families waiting to confidently return to their workplace,” Mayor Fred Eisenberger said in a statement on Thursday. “Hamilton’s gradual approach emphasizes that safety is our main priority and is consistent with the City’s broader reopening plans.”

Emergency child care supporting essential front-line workers free of charge since late March will wind down services on June 26.

The city says it will help those families to return to their previous arrangement or find new space during a transition back to regular child care.

No specific date for reopening has been given by the city, however, the city’s EOC director said on Tuesday it may be “an additional week or so” after the province’s opening date, set for Friday.

“It’s not that there wasn’t work already started — it has, though these nuances of these plans need to be signed off for each centre,” said Johnson. “Whether we can sign off on the process and ensure that people follow the process, those are the things we are looking at.”

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