On Friday, November 20, the Ontario Government announced a number of additional restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19. Read the government news release. As of Monday, November 23rd at 12:01 a.m., Toronto and Peel were moved into the “Grey” lockdown category. In addition, some other areas of the province moved to higher restriction levels. While these changes have a major impact on restaurants and retail outlets, as well as the size of gatherings, they do not affect regulated health professionals. The College has no information regarding any changes to Directive #2 from the Chief Medical Officer of Health as it pertains to the services provided by members. As a result, the recommendations from the College remain as noted in the summary provided in the article entitled COVID-19 Inquiries published in the recent edition of HeadLines. In addition to providing answers to questions frequently ask of the College the article states:
The pandemic remains an active threat to community safety. The College, therefore, continues to recommend that members provide services virtually when this can be done effectively. When clients require in-person services, as a general principle all safeguards that members can provide should be applied. In situations where there is ambiguity about the requirements, we urge members to take a conservative approach to minimize the risk of community spread as much as reasonably possible.
The College continues to monitor the information from, and directives of, the Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health and will inform the membership of any significant changes of which we become aware. As always, the College encourages members to check the Ministry of Health (MOH) COVID-19 website regularly for updates on the COVID-19 patient screening guidance document, other guidance documents, mental health resources, and other related information. It also recommends that members regularly check the Directives, Memorandums and Other Resources page for the most up to date Directives issued by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
The College offices remain closed at this time, but the business of the College continues remotely. We are endeavouring to operate “business as usual” and thank members, applicants and other stakeholders for their patience during this challenging time.
To review the College’s previous updates please visit our COVID-19 webpage.
Keep healthy and safe,
Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registrar & Executive Director
rmorris@cpo.on.ca