THUNDER BAY — In a sign of growing concern over a potential upsurge in COVID-19 cases, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has tightened travel restrictions for all staff, patients who require non-urgent care, and all other visitors to the hospital.
Effective Tuesday, Oct. 6, travel outside Northern Ontario (Parry Sound to the Manitoba border) in the past seven days will result in a failed entrance screening.
In an announcement Monday, the hospital said the heightened safeguards are in line with the recommendations of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Patients with care partners or essential care partners who have travelled outside Northern Ontario in the past seven days will be permitted to identify an alternate partner.
"We understand that travel restrictions can be difficult, especially for those who are separated from friends and family," said Dr. Stewart Kennedy, the incident manager for COVID-19 at TBRHSC. "However, Ontario has entered the second wave of the pandemic, and we must be extra vigilant for the protection of all, including the most vulnerable patients in our care."
Dr. Kennedy noted that in the first wave of COVID-19, travel restrictions were integral to limiting the impact of the pandemic in the community and in the hospital.
Travel restrictions were initially implemented last March, and have remained in effect in some form since then.
Late Monday afternoon, a hospital spokesperson explained that on September 2, a screening question for hospital staff was amended from 'Have you travelled outside of Northwestern Ontario in the last 14 days' to 'Have you travelled outside of Canada in the last 14 days?'
That question has now been modified again.
