Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 14, 2020, Winnipeg, Manitoba <s> ■e- C MHK PAGE A1 O' I ■ I ■ I IT'S NOT GENERATIONAL Five Manitobans, ages 17 to 78, share their thoughts and fears amid pandemic / Cl TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2020 A A MB FOUNDED IN 1872 ■ & & & ^^A & & & A^^ Winnipeg free Press' ► CONNECT WITH CANADA'S HIGHEST READERSHIP RATE WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH -3 — LOW -10 Bathing, laundry among services put on hold for home care clients DANIELLE DA SILVA A number of home care clients in Winnipeg will receive fewer calls from health-care aides after the regional health authority suspended visits considered nonessential. Home care co-ordinators have started reaching out to clients to let them know some services — including bathing, laundry, cleaning, respite and more — will be cancelled indefinitely. Family members are being asked to fill in the gap, said the son of a nonagenarian who currently receives home care. The man — who asked to remain anonymous to maintain his privacy — said his father learned on Monday his laundry, cleaning, and shower-assist services would be suspended, but meal services would continue. His dad uses a walker and has fallen in the past, which makes showering complicated, and relies on home care workers to mitigate the risks of falling again. Taking care of his own laundry is also off the table, as the senior can’t safely carry a hamper from his apartment to the laundry facility down the hall. “This idea that family can sort of pitch in is ludicrous,” said the son, adding they will likely hire a private care provider instead. “If I’m isolating... and haven’t seen my father in the last three weeks except outside at a distance, why would I now enter his condo to provide him services without the protective equipment that home care has?” At the end of March, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority updated its home care visit priority codes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home care co-ordinators subsequently began doing risk assessments for their clients, who are given a priority classification based on their needs. “These measures are being implemented due to a combination of drivers, including to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to both staff and clients by postponing, or reducing the frequency of, in-person, in-home visits where feasible and where it’s safe to do so, and where virtual visits do not present a suitable alternative,” a spokesman for the WRHA said in a written statement Monday. “Additional drivers include conserving the supply of personal protective equipment for services that cannot be safely postponed, and to ensure staff time can be prioritized to continue offering services to our clients.” People who fall into priority level three — the lowest needs level — are losing services that would not create a serious or immediate risk to their health status or that of their caregiver, according to a WRHA document. Those in priority level two will lose select services as long as the home care co-ordinator can establish a continuity plan with the client or family. People in priority level one are those who require continued home care visits and do not have a reliable backup plan. Each client is assessed on a case-by-case basis, the spokesman said. The WRHA was unable to say how many clients would be affected. • HOME CARE, CONTINUED ON A2 MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin, with Shared Health chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa, announced non-essential businesses must remain closed for another two weeks. • Measures could pay off during summer: top doctor • Pallister won't rule out civil-service cuts Tougher restrictions on horizon CAROL SANDERS AND LARRY KUSCH Manitobans could face tougher restrictions on their behaviour later this week to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases, chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Monday. And at a news conference earlier in the day, the premier wouldn’t rule out public-sector job reductions linked to the pandemic. Roussin offered a glimmer of hope to house bound Manitobans, saying they may be “weeks away” from seeing some physical-distancing measures eased. But first, tougher rules may be necessary, he warned. “We’re still early in this outbreak,” he said after renewing the 14-day Public Health Act order for non-essential businesses to close. The order, which had been set to expire today, was extended until April 28. “Likely sometime this week we will be enhancing the public health orders to get that message across,” said Rous-sin, who wouldn’t offer any specifics. The short-term pain will be worth the long-term gain, he said. “If we can double our efforts we may be weeks away from being able to scale back some of these restrictions.” On Monday, Manitoba announced just four new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 246. No new cases were reported Sunday; the average for the past week has been six cases. Roussin said he doesn’t expect the current degree of physical distancing will carry on into the summer. “We’re going to have some restrictions on group sizes and changes in how we live day to day,” he said, but he expects there will be a “gradual rollback” of the measures. A couple of hours earlier, Premier Brian Pallister also hinted there could be some short-term pain, at the very least, for the public service, as the government marshals its resources to battle the pandemic. Asked if he foresees a reduced civil service in the near future due to the financial pressures the province is facing, Pallister acknowledged such discussions have taken place within government. “I’ll have more to say on this (today),” he said. “There has been some preliminary exchange of views on that issue.” The private sector has been bearing the brunt of the job losses so far, the premier noted, referring to a recent report that showed the province had lost 25,300 jobs in March. Pallister said the province doesn’t have a money tree, and “we’ll be looking for partnership and support from all. Some are directly impacted; others may be indirectly impacted.” Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union, said the province has not given the MGEU any indication it is considering layoffs. “During these unprecedented times, the critical importance of our public services is more clear than ever,” she said in a statement to the Free Press. “Instead of throwing more Manitobans onto (employment insurance), our government should focus on a program to top up EI for all Manitobans who have been laid off or had their hours reduced.” Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said although the city hadn’t laid off any civic employees during the pandemic, several dozen have been redeployed. Meanwhile, Manitoba has obtained the Spartan Cube, a new COVID-19 rapid-testing system that was approved by Health Canada but needs to be validated by health officials here first, Roussin said. • RESTRICTIONS, CONTINUED ON A2 Province sets weekly school work baselines MAGGIE MACINTOSH LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER TEACHERS are being given guidelines to prepare a minimum weekly number of hours of school work depending on their grade: five for early years, 10 for middle schoolers, and at least three hours per course for high school students, respectively. The baselines set for curricular content are among a list of updated expectations for students, educators and families during the indefinite distance-learning period. The province sent the document to school divisions late last week; it’s expected to be made public by the end of the week. “These learning goals set clear expectations for students, families and teachers so students will be ready for next year,” a provincial spokesperson told the Free Press. All educators are expected to continue direct learning, work full school days, and continue to set goals and assess student progress — and, at the same time, stay in touch with students via phone, online platform and mail. The document states parents have a role in supporting teachers, while students are responsible for establishing routines, actively participating in learning and being honest and communicative about challenges. “It’s good to have a general guideline so you’re not being unrealistic, but at the same time, they’re just guidelines,” said Valdine Bjornson, a literacy and educational consultant at the Reading and Learning Clinic of Manitoba. Bjornson said it’s critical to consider a task that might take one pupil only one or two hours to complete could take another student 20 hours, depending on learning strengths, technology challenges and support at home. Both an educator and parent, she added the most important thing is communication with classroom teachers to ensure students are “on the right track.” In terms of teaching content, instructors who fall into the kindergarten to Grade 8-level category are being tasked with prioritizing literacy and numeracy, with “opportunities” for science and social studies, physical education and health, and the arts through cross-curricular planning. In higher grades, the province has requested teachers prioritize learning outcomes and plan specific curriculum-related tasks. The document sent to divisions states, for grade 11 and 12 courses, teachers are to “make special efforts,” so students have the knowledge and skills required for postgraduation success. • SCHOOL, CONTINUED ON A2 0 i MORE ON CORONAVIRUS o o GETTING THE MESSAGE FREEZER FRENZY Manitobans largely heed warnings to stay home, data shows / A3 Toilet paper? Old news. Appliances, webcams latest must-haves for shoppers / B4 NEW KIND OF HOT SPOT SAFE HARBOUR Desperation, inspiration battle for supremacy in hard-hit New Orleans / A5 Winnipeg ideal site for NHL's return, Mike McIntyre writes / C4 -e- -e- A_01_Apr-14-20_FP_01.indd A1 0 2020-04-13 10:59 PM ;