New Manitoba Rules Allow Symptomatic Babysitting Personnel, Others Returning to Work on Negative Testing – Winnipeg

Staff at Manitoba Child Care Facilities and a number of other social services working with vulnerable people will now be able to return to work with a negative COVID-19 test, even if they have mild symptoms.

The changes were described in a note from the Manitoba Families obtained by Global News circulating in the sector on Friday.

This applies to early learning and childcare facilities, providers of disability services in community life, providers of child and family services, group care providers and homeless and domestic violence homes.

The memo says that symptomatic staff can return to work if three conditions are met.

The person must have tested negative from a provincial test site or received two negative test results from self-administered tests at 24-hour intervals.

The person must also have mild and increasing symptoms, and have been without fever for 24 hours without medication.

Jodie Kehl, executive director of the Manitoba Child Care Association, says individual facilities may or may not choose to use the updated protocols.

“I think it is important that families have access to childcare when they continue to return to work. I think it is really important that children have access to childcare so that they have continuity and coherence in their lives. But I also think it is crucial that our educators in early childhood are protected in this time, ”said Kehl.

“So we urge the province to ensure that they protect and support our child educators by providing the N95 masks as well as a robust supply of their rapid testing so that they can continue to test all staff to ensure it is safe and sound. a healthy environment. ”

Kehl encourages families to keep the communication line open with their childcare facilities to not only stay informed about their protocols, but also to be aware of staffing issues.

“I think families also need to be prepared that with this increased shortage of staff there may be a chance that childcare facilities will have to close cohorts, may have to reduce their enrollment, may have to reduce their working hours, “Kehl said.

“So I would advise families to ensure they have backup child care plans in case their facility may not be able to provide the safe, healthy, licensed child care for them.”

Kehl added that staff shortages are nothing new, but have worsened sharply since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global News contacted the province to find out more about the changes, but did not receive a response Sunday.

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