Plan for return to Clinical Practice.

This plan has been developed with the goal of reducing the risk of exposure to Covid-19 for both patients and staff within the clinic. The new protocols have been implemented as follows:

1. Pre-screening. Self-assessment for symptoms of Covid-19 prior to entering the clinic:

• All patients will be informed about their responsibilities at the time of booking. These responsibilities include performing a self-assessment health check for any symptoms of Covid-19. They will have the understanding that if they are experiencing any of the symptoms regardless if mild or severe, they must cancel and reschedule. There will be no fees associated with cancellation or rescheduling appointments.
• All staff of the clinic will also perform self-assessments each day prior to starting work and have the understanding that they will not attend if they are experiencing any symptoms regardless of severity.

2. Screening upon arrival to clinic and hand hygiene:

• Patients will be screened prior to entering the clinic with signage on the door and will be asked questions regarding health prior to treatment.
• Patients will also be asked to sanitize their hands before and after the treatment by either using the provided hand sanitizer or using soap and water in the washroom facilities. Instructions for proper hand hygiene will be posted throughout the clinic.
• Practitioners will wash hands between patients and throughout the day as needed.
• Payment will occur in the reception area either before or after treatment and the POS machine will be disinfected between uses if any contact is made. The use of the tap features of the POS will be encouraged and limits have been increased to help accommodate this.

3. Physical distancing and procedures while in clinic:

• Patients are required to maintain a space of 2 metres distance between each other and the staff of the clinic in all areas outside the treatment area. Due to the space limitation in our reception area a maximum of 4 patients will be permitted at one time.
• We ask that patients come unaccompanied to their appointments. Exceptions will be given for minors, elderly, disabled or anyone else that requires assistance getting to their appointments.
• Appointments have been scheduled to reduce interaction between individuals, however, if there are times that the waiting area is at capacity we ask that patients stay outside the door and maintain the 2 metre distance between others until they are invited in by the staff.
• Patients are asked to arrive on time for their appointments and understand that if they are late that they may have to reschedule as we need to avoid the congestion that it might cause if we run late.
• Patients are asked to come no earlier than 5 minutes prior to their scheduled time to avoid congestion in reception area.

Inside the treatment room it is not possible to maintain physical distancing and the patients understand that the treatment involves some risk of transmission. However, strict procedures to mitigate the risks are being followed:

• All equipment and furniture that is contacted by others will be sanitized between ever patient.
• Masks may be used if requested by patient or deemed necessary by the practitioner.

4. Enhanced Cleaning:

• Additional time has been scheduled to allow for enhanced cleaning and disinfecting between patients.
• Common areas will be cleaned and disinfected at least twice per day.
• All high touch surfaces (chairs, doorknobs, POS machine) will be cleaned and disinfected between uses.
• All linens are single use only and will be laundered between each use.

5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Practitioners are equipped with masks and may choose to use them if appropriate.
• Patients may request that their practitioner wear masks during the treatment.