In spite of Tuesday's COVID-19 outbreak declaration at their facility at 10 Chapel St., Cobourg, Transition House reminds everyone that overnight warming room and shelter services continue to be available.
The announcement comes at a time of extreme cold warnings, three days after the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit declared Transition House's outbreak status when positive cases were confirmed among several staff members and clients.
Transition House staff have collaborated with the health unit to ensure that both shelter and overnight warming room services can continue to be available to those in need, based on rigourous infection-prevention and -control measures in place to minimize any risk for the virus's transmission.
Measures taken include:
Daily rapid testing of all clients and staff (as well as any new clients entering the shelter) and twice-daily active screening of staff and clients for symptoms. Any client showing symptoms or testing positive is immediately moved into isolation for the recovery period.
Mandatory use of full personal protective equipment by staff.
Mandatory mask policy for clients at all times, except when eating and sleeping.
Enhanced environmental cleaning protocols.
Strict adherence to thorough hand-hygiene practices.
“As with many sectors, the homelessness system is dealing with staff resourcing challenges, due to a variety of impacts largely related to COVID-19,” Transition House Executive Director Anne Newman said in the press release,
“Temporary consolidation of shelter and warming room services at Transition House has enabled us to overcome these challenges in order to continue providing these essential services.
“By working with our counterparts at HKPRDHU to ensure rigourous infection-prevention and -control measures on-site, both shelter and overnight warming room services continue to be available to community members in need, with co-ordinated access via the 10 Chapel St. Location.”
Community members in need of emergency shelter or overnight warming room services can visit Transition House or call 905-376-9562 for more information.