Member Update: COVID-19

Dear ,

We can't say it enough. Thank you so much for your amazing commitment and dedication to caring for Ontarians in these particularly stressful times. We know that we're not alone in wanting to thank nurses and other health care workers. In fact, we're seeing more and more business and organizations offering to support those at the frontlines fighting against this pandemic with meals, supplies and more. Our members might be particulaly interested in a CAA announcement that they will be providing free road side assistance to health care professionals.

As we head into the weekend, if you're looking for a fun activity to try from the comfort of your home, consider a taking virtual tour of 12 World-Class Museums

Sharing Acts of Kindness
Thanks to the nurses who have already shared some their kindness stories or images with us like this one or this one.

We're inviting our members to share any stories with us about kindness they've experienced throughout this pandemic, at your workplace or otherwise, by email or on social media with the hashtag #COVIDKindness. Remember to also tag us @we_rpn on Twitter and Instragram or @wearepracticalnurses on Facebook so we can help spread these stories of kindness.

Key Provincial Updates and Resources for Health Professionals
The Ministry has released a new memo to public hospitals on increasing capacity.

In today's daily press briefing, Premier Ford announced measures to support businesses by allowing insurance premium payment deferrals for six months

Premier Ford also renewed his commitment to enhance testing capacity. The province is creating a provincial network to coodinate testing and also expanding capacity at hospital and commercial labs.

Ontario has implemented a new emergency text alert on COVID-19 to remind travellers to stay home after travel.

Premier Doug Ford also pledged to take steps to prevent price gouging amid coronavirus pandemic

For more information, we encourage you to visit the Ministry of Health and Public Health Ontario website

Key Federal Updates
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a sweeping package for small business owners, including loan guarantees and significantly higher wage subsidies to help them cope with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer says some Canadians who return from abroad showing symptoms of the new coronavirus could be taken to a federal quarantine site for two weeks, as all levels of government looked to ramp up enforcement.

For more information, we encourage you to visit the Government of Canada website.

Daily Reports

As of 10:30AM today, Ontario reported 967 confirmed cases, 8 resolved cases, 18 deaths and 10,074 currently under investigation with lab results pending.

Click Here to read the latest Ministry of Health Daily Report
**Please note, these reports are intended for health professionals only and we request that you not share this with the public.

World Health Organization Situation Reports are also available here

In the News
For an interactive map tracking all cases across Canada and internationally, click here

Below are some key stories from today that may be of interest to our members:

We will continue to monitor this situation and keep you updated as more information becomes available. Thank you for the important work that you're doing and the sacrifices you're making to keep Ontarians safe. We appreciate everything that you're doing each and every day.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Tiff Blair at tblair@werpn.com

Sincerely,

WeRPN Team