Government issues Public Health Order to restrict movement at Personal Care Homes

Apr 30, 2020

The Manitoba government is restricting some workers in Personal Care Homes from working in more than one PCH as a measure to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in these facilities.

Yesterday, a Public Health Order was issued to implement this restriction with an effective date of May 1, 2020. The Order specifies that the restrictions apply only to movement at licensed Personal Care Homes and lists classifications which are not affected.

A memo from Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, and Lanette Siragusa, Provincial Lead Health System Integration & Quality, Chief Nursing Officer, Shared Health, describes the change and encourages management to reach out to residents, their families, and workers who will be affected.

MGEU President, Michelle Gawronsky says that while the union supports efforts to minimize the spread of the virus, there remain many unanswered questions about the implementation of this initiative and its impact on workers.

“We have many concerns about what this means for workers and our members have many questions for the employer. Right now we’re working hard to get answers to those questions and to ensure that the rights, wages, and benefits of affected members are protected.”

Shared Health has released a Frequently Asked Questions document that affected members can review to help answer some of the questions they have at this time.

MGEU members can also contact the MGEU Resource Centre for assistance.

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