COVID-19 Protocols

COVID-19 Protocols

COVID-19 Protocols for Watershed Groups working under the PEI Watershed Management Program

Version 7 – updated October 5, 2021

The PEI Office of Public Health provides details on COVID-19 public health measures which can be found here: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/covid19

This document is intended to provide more specific guidance and direction to watershed groups funded under PEI’s Watershed Management Program.

1. Screening and Monitoring
The employer or supervisor must confirm with all employees daily that none has a common cold or influenza like illness or symptoms compatible with COVID-19 (new/worsened cough, feverish/chills, difficulty breathing, runny nose, sore throat, or headache).

Any employees reporting or showing such symptoms must return home, immediately begin self-isolation and call 811 for direction. If directed for testing, they will be required to self-isolate until test results are communicated by Public Health. Employees required to self-isolate will remain on payroll during the self-isolation period, or until the end of their normal work term if that occurs during the self-isolation period.

Employers, supervisors and employees should be aware that those who have come in contact with someone with COVID-19 will be contacted by Public Health Nursing and must also self-isolate for 14 days. During self-isolation, you must self-monitor and contact 811 if symptoms develop during the 14 days.

2. Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene is one of two key areas that can help break the chain of COVID-19 transmission (the other being physical distancing). Good hand hygiene includes increased handwashing, coughing or sneezing into your arm or a tissue, disposing of tissues immediately and properly, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth, and washing your hands regularly.

To support this, the employer must provide employees with information about good hand hygiene practices, and the means to implement those practices. This includes:

• explaining the importance of good hand hygiene to all employees at the start of their work term, and re-enforcing this throughout the work period;
• posting signs or notices in appropriate places that illustrate good practices;
• displaying good practices while with employees, including diligent hand washing with soap and water or use of hand sanitizer with a minimum 60% alcohol;
• having a location on site where employees may wash their hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20-30 seconds. Wash locations must be checked for supplies and cleaned daily, and restocked with supplies immediately upon depletion; and
• providing an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% alcohol for use where washing with soap and water is not possible or practical. In cases where hands are visibly soiled, wipes should be used to remove dirt before applying sanitizer.

Hand washing or use of hand sanitizer is most important at the following times:

• before eating or preparing food;
• after coughing, sneezing, or blowing one’s nose;
• before and after contact with a person suspected of being ill;
• after touching common surfaces such as taps, light switches or doorknobs;
• before and after sharing tools; and
• after using the washroom.

All common areas and surfaces must be cleaned at the end of each day or more often as needed. Examples of common areas and surfaces include washrooms, shared offices, common tables, desks, light switches, and door handles. Regular household cleaners are effective against COVID-19, following the instructions on the label.

3. Physical Distancing
Physical distancing is one of two key areas (along with good hand hygiene) that can break the chain of COVID-19 transmission. Physical distancing of at least 2 meters must be maintained, where possible, at all times, not just when it is easy or practical to do. This will mean altering usual work practices for some tasks. Please follow COVID-19 alert level information regarding gathering sizes and other measures, available online: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/covid-19-alert-level-system-pei-0

4. Common Spaces
Employers must ensure physical distancing can be maintained in common spaces such as offices, buildings, breakrooms, etc. This could include measures such as replacing in-person meetings with virtual meetings; holding necessary in-person meetings outside; staggering start, stop and break times to minimize employees congregating; restricting office spaces to essential employees only; limiting the number of employees allowed access to offices or breakrooms at any one time, etc.

As noted in Section 2.0, all common areas and surfaces must be cleaned at the end of each day or more often as needed. Examples of common areas and surfaces include washrooms, shared offices, common tables, desks, light switches, and door handles. Regular household cleaners are effective against COVID-19, following the instructions on the label.

5. Vehicles
Employees may share a vehicle and every effort should be made to ensure distance between passengers, including limiting the number of persons in a vehicle when possible.

Non-medical masks are required to be worn in vehicles when there are passengers, unless all passengers are from the same household.

More information regarding carpooling and essential transport can be found: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/carpooling-and-essential-transport-guidance

In all cases where there is more than one employee in a vehicle, employees should hand sanitize before entering and after exiting the vehicle.

As noted in Section 2.0, all common areas and surfaces must be cleaned at the end of each day, or more often as needed. For vehicles transporting more than one employee, this includes key contact points such as door handles (inside and out), window buttons, armrests, grab handles, seat adjusters, and seat belt buckles.

6. Field
Safety is the number one priority of all work, including field work. While working alone accomplishes physical distancing requirements, employees must not be assigned to complete higher-risk activities (for example, chainsaw use) alone. Employers must establish a check-in protocol for employees assigned lower-risk activities alone.

Employees undertaking field work in groups of two or more should maintain physical distance of at least 2 metres unless it is unsafe to do so. This could include measures such as deploying smaller work groups, limiting employees to a maximum of two per boat, staggering the pick-up of trees, equipment or other supplies from a central location, etc. A non-medical mask should be worn in settings when you cannot maintain physical distancing.

Where possible, employees should be assigned tools and equipment, rather than sharing items among the work group (this would include everything from monitoring equipment to shovels and brush axes, to pens, insect repellant and sunscreen). Where it is not possible to provide personal tools or equipment, the shared tools or equipment must be transferred in a way that avoids contact between employees (not handed directly from one employee to another) and must be wiped down and cleaned with a disinfecting agent between users. Disinfecting agents include disposable wipes, a diluted bleach solution (1/3 cup bleach per gallon (3 ¾ litres) of water) or regular household cleaners which are effective against COVID-19, following the instructions on the label.

7. Shopping for Supplies/Equipment
Only one employee should be assigned this task at a time. Groups of two or more employees should not be sent for supplies unless there is a safety need to do so, such as if the item cannot be safely loaded and unloaded by one person. Even in this case, the employer should determine if assistance is available at the point of purchase to avoid the need to send more than one employee.

Non-medical Masks
Non-medical masks are mandatory in all enclosed public spaces in Prince Edward Island. If your work area is not open to the public, mask use is encouraged especially when physical distancing can not be maintained. Information on non-medical masks and how to use them can be found here: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/using-non-medical-masks-in-the-community

When completing field work, employees should maintain physical distance of at least 2 metres where possible at all times. In field situations, where physical distancing of 2 metres cannot be maintained (for example, when completing electrofishing surveys) non-medical masks ARE to be worn by employees.

In-person meetings and events
Where possible, consider meeting through conference call or video-conferencing. If planning an in-person meeting, follow the gathering size guidance provided by the Office of Public Health. Up-to-date information regarding allowable number of participants can be found: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/health-and-wellness/new-normal-gatherings-guidance

When meeting in person or holding community outreach events, the following steps should be followed.

Beginning October 5th, 2021, the time-limited Vax Pass program will take effect.
Under this program, proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for certain events. This applies to individuals who are 12 years of age and older. From a watershed group perspective this includes:

– Indoor and outdoor gathering/events (e.g., outreach events, volunteer workdays)
– Conferences, trade fairs and workshops (e.g., training events)
– Group activities and classes (e.g., meetings)

To be in Public Health Office compliance you will need to verify proof of vaccination from participants including volunteers at these events/activities.

Proof of vaccination is not required for employees of organizations that offer these activities and work in these settings.

More information on Vax Pass information can be found: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/businesses-services-and-events

Complete a COVID risk assessment with the person/people you are meeting with. If the answer to any of the following 4 questions is YES, the person cannot partake in the meeting.

(a) Do you have any COVID symptoms (cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, marked fatigue or body aches)? [If the person answers yes, they should also be advised to call 811 for advice and direction].
(b) Have you had close contact (face-to-face contact within 2 meters (6 feet) with someone who is ill with any of the above noted symptoms?
(c) Have you been in contact in the last 14 days with a person confirmed to be a case of COVID-19?
(d) Are you self-isolating or work isolating?
(e) Have you been outside of PEI for more than 48 hours?

Maintain a log of the people attending meetings or events that includes name and contact information. This would be used for the purposes of contact tracing should it be needed.

When conducting meetings, please continue to follow the advice of sections 2.0 and 3.0 of this document related to hand washing/sanitizing, maintaining physical distance of 2 metres, cleaning, and non-medical mask usage.