With phase one of the province’s reopening plan just days away, officials at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance are breathing a sigh of relief.
The reopening doesn’t necessarily affect day-to-day operations of the hospital. However, CEO Lori Marshall says with COVID numbers in Chatham-Kent remaining relatively low and vaccinations rates on the rise, she’s feeling much more optimistic about ending the lockdown this time around compared to how things were back in late February and early March.
“I think we all know that being outdoors is something that’s good for all of us and has a lot lower expectation of transmissions, so things like patios and that sort of thing, it’s wonderful to see.”
No changes are being made to the hospital’s visitor restrictions at this point, although Marshall says that could change before much longer.
“We know that it’s beautiful outside and people are wanting to get out, wanting to see one another, so we’re in the process now of looking at that and seeing how we can be a little more accommodating, given all of the changes.”
For the time being, the hospital’s visitor rules allow for one designated care partner per patient.