In its efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19, the Province of Ontario has extended its order for the closure of non-essential workplaces until May 12, 2020. See the news release here. The government continues to monitor the situation and may consider extending these restrictions as necessary.
A list of essential workplaces was published on March 24, 2020 and any workplace designated non-essential was ordered to close. On April 4, 2020, this list of essential workplaces was further reduced following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Dental technology laboratories were not listed as an essential workplace.
The only exception where a Registered Dental Technologist is providing an essential service is when a prescription has been issued by a dentist for an emergency service. The Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario has provided guidance on what constitutes an emergency service.
Failure to comply with the emergency order is an offence under subsection 7.0.11 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, 1990. The College will also take action against Members who put the health and safety of the public at risk.
CDTO has a dedicated webpage for all COVID-19 related information and resources that can be accessed from the main page. Should you have any questions, please contact CDTO’s Practice Support at QA@cdto.ca.
Resources:
Ontario Health WorkForce Matching Portal
The Ontario government has launched an online portal to match healthcare providers who have a capacity to help employers in need of assistance in a variety of public health functions, such as case and contact management.
The portal is intended to help recruit anyone with health care experience to increase the frontline capacity of hospitals, clinics and assessment centres.
For further information, click here. To access the portal, click here.
