Shared on behalf of Jennifer Wintermans, EVP, Communications and Corporate Relations, COVID-19 Lead

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Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) recognizes that the ability to travel is an important part of a return to normalcy and supports a positive work-life balance.  As such, we will be adjusting our requirements related to travel for fully vaccinated staff and professional staff.

Our land borders are now open and the Federal Government has recently announced that fully vaccinated Canadians returning to Canada within 72 hours of leaving will no longer have to provide proof of a negative molecular test effective November 30th.

Effective immediately, staff will no longer need to adhere to the following:

• COVID-19 Travel Form submitted to Manager and OHS prior to travel.
• Requirement to request five calendar days off from work upon return to Canada.
• Requirement to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test to Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S).
• 8th day COVID-19 test through the Assessment Centre.

All staff will be required to be aware of any travel requirements as per Federal, Provincial and any local guidance.   

Staff who are fully vaccinated and travel internationally must follow the Federal guidelines upon returning to Canada and can return to work following ArriveCAN clearance. Individuals who have been selected by ArriveCAN for additional screening may return to work, unless they have been instructed to self-isolate.

Federal restrictions will not allow unvaccinated individuals to travel by air. If unvaccinated staff do travel outside of Canada, they must follow all guidelines upon return, which at present will require 14 days of isolation. Request for time-off must include this 14-day isolation period.

All staff and professional staff are reminded:

• To consider avoiding travel to areas deemed high-risk, refer to the Government of Canada travel resources at https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories
• To follow all public health and federal guidelines while travelling: https://www.tbdhu.com/travel
• That if detained outside of Canada, additional required time off must be taken as extended vacation time if available or as unpaid time off.
• To complete the screening tool prior to each shift, monitor for symptoms, disclose any close contacts and follow instructions from OHS for a failed screen.
• To practice hand hygiene and wear PPE appropriate for the work environment.
• That TBRHSC follows Federal, Provincial and local public health requirements and as such our guidelines and requirements are subject to change.

Thank you for your continued commitment in keeping one another and our patients and families safe.

All Hospital COVID-19 updates and resources are available on the iNtranet at https://comms.tbrhsc.net/covid-19-information.