COVID-19 Update #1
COVID-19 Update #1 - Response and Recommended Safety Measures
As most of you are aware, there is increasing global concern regarding the new coronavirus and COVID-19. Here are TRC, we do not want to be panicking or fearmongering, neither do we want to be flippant or irresponsible. Based on information from subject-matter-experts, it appears that the situation will get worse before it gets better. We believe it would be best to be cautious.
It’s important that we think of health and safety as a community effort, which means that even if you personally feel like you could survive COVID-19 without complications, there are those around you, including loved ones and family members, for whom contracting the disease could be deadly. In my practice, I regularly see individuals who would be in a high-risk category due to age, underlying health conditions, or a compromised immune system. If you are in a low-risk category because you are young, strong, and in good health, I am optimistic and hopeful for you. However, I would ask that you still take the time to review this information. We all have a responsibility as humans living in community, interdependent on one another, economically and otherwise, to take our collective health and well-being seriously. Taking timely and necessary precautions to slow the spread of this new coronavirus will flatten the curve and help us all get through this, together.
If you suspect that you have contracted the new coronavirus or that you may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, you are strongly encouraged to self-quarantine or isolate yourself and/or call your doctor or Telehealth Ontario (1 866-797-0000). At this point in time, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has assessed the public health risk associated with COVID-19 as low for the general population in Canada but this could change rapidly. Given what are we are seeing unfold globally, I strongly believe caution is warranted.
“Coronavirus is a socially transmitted disease, and we all have a social contract to stop it.” - Howard Markel M.D., Ph.D.
The following recommendations have been developed with both your individual safety and the safety of our community in mind:
If you have travelled anytime in the last two to four weeks, whether outside of the country or by flight within the country, please consider switching to online sessions for at least a couple of weeks or until we know more about the developing situation.
If you are in a high-risk category due to your age, underlying health conditions, or a compromised immune system, please consider switching to online sessions until we know more about the developing situation.
If you feel sick with a fever, cough, cold, flu, or recently recovered from any of these, please consider switching to online sessions until we know more about the developing situation.
If someone in your household is sick with a fever, cough, cold, or flu symptoms, or recently recovered from any of these, please consider switching to online sessions until we know more about the developing situation.
If you are not experiencing any symptoms, have not travelled, and are not generally concerned, but you live in close proximity with individuals who may be considered high risk, please consider switching to online sessions until we know more about the developing situation.
I completely understand that online sessions do not have the same feel and vibe as an in-person session. However, it may be the only responsible option at this point in time so as not to unintentionally spread the virus.
If you are coming into my Toronto office for sessions:
When you enter the building, you will see a hand sanitizer stand in the main lobby area. Please make generous use of this facility.
In addition, whether you drive, walk, cycle, or take public transit (and especially if you take public transit), please wash your hands before your appointment. Please make sure you are washing the entire surface area of your hands, including under your fingernails, for at least 30 seconds.
If you need to wipe any part of your face (e.g. eyes, mouth, etc.) or blow your nose during a session, please use the tissues provided. You are welcome to bring your own tissues from home if you prefer. Once you have wiped your face or blown your nose, please toss the tissue into the garbage bin immediately.
If you have to sneeze or cough, please cover your mouth and nose with your elbow or tissue.
You are encouraged to wash your hands after your session and use hand sanitizer as you leave the building.
The following are precautions I have put into place both in both at my Toronto office and Newmarket home office:
There is an air purifier with a UV germ filter that I have running throughout the day. This is because the virus can be transmitted through aerosols from coughing, sneezing, and speaking.
There is a supply of Clorox/Lysol wipes that I use to wipe down surfaces.
To whatever degree possible, I will try to sit several feet away from you. The recommended distance is six feet. In a small office space, this is difficult. We will do our best.
These precautions are not meant to incite panic or excessive worry. They are meant to allow me to responsibly run my practice with the safety of my clients, my community, and myself in mind.
There is a lot of information out there about the virus. I recommend consuming material from reputable sources and subject-matter-experts rather than the media at large.
Below are a few links that I found helpful that provide analysis and information on what we can do now:
On a personal note, as many of you already know, I was in India in the month of January and got sick when I returned. As far as I am aware, this was a combination of jet lag, exhaustion from travel, and a bad cold or possibly the regular flu. This was when known cases of COVID-19 were limited to China and Southeast Asia. After getting better, I was left with a lingering cough that my doctor confirms is intermittent asthma—something that shows up for me in a variety of situations such as weather changes (e.g. the change in climate from India to Canada), cold weather in the wintertime, general fatigue or exhaustion, speaking extensively which irritates my vocal cords and windpipe, or a recent cold or flu. I do have an inhaler for this and I try to use it sparingly on an as-needed basis. If I start to feel sick again or suspect symptoms of COVID-19, I will let clients know and self-quarantine. I will continue to be available for online video sessions. Furthermore, asthma is a condition that would make COVID-19 a high-risk situation for me. Depending on how things progress, I may be forced to limit services to telehealth platforms only.
As always, I look forward to our scheduled time together. Let’s continue to engage authentically in the deep and profound work of healing and liberation!
Stay safe, beloveds.
Benita