Please note that we have postponed all community visits until a time when there are no active cases and is no ongoing contact tracing in the territory but if you want to know more about the precautions we are taking when programming resumes, please read on! Additionally, our offices are closed to the public at this time but we are happy to meet you on Zoom or greet you with masks on!
At BYTE – Empowering Youth Society, we are committed to the health and safety of all those participating in our programming including staff, volunteers and participants. We are monitoring this evolving situations closely, and are taking the following precautions during the delivery of all workshops, events and programs:
- Continue to monitor the measures being taken by our community partners (including the review of operational plans), recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer and Yukon Government and act accordingly.
- All staff and volunteers must complete the Covid-19 Protocols form (Appendix B). This is part of our due diligence to ensure that everyone knows the best practices for keeping each other safe during the various pandemic phases. If new information becomes available, staff and volunteers will be provided with update Protocols.
- If staff or volunteers feel sick or are showing symptoms, or have been in close contact with someone sick or showing symptoms, they must stay home and arrange for testing in accordance with the Red, Yellow and Green guidelines distributed by Yukon Government. Please see guidelines attached in Appendix A.
- If staff or volunteers have just returned from outside Yukon and have been in an area that Yukon designates are restricted OR are in close contact with someone who has just arrived from such an area, they must stay home and self-isolate for 14 days.
- Staff and volunteers who have just returned from outside Yukon (including BC, NWT and Nunavut), or have been in close contact with someone who has just returned, must NOT deliver programming in the remote/rural communities that we serve. Additionally, for workshops in Whitehorse, staff should check in with their host to determine the host organizations protocols and boundaries.
- During regular work hours at BYTE office, the following precautions will be taken:
- Staff must maintain physical distance from one another and guests at all times. Staff should avoid activities that require close contact or gathering around a particular item or small area. Where this is not possible, staff should wear masks.
- In order to ensure physical distance, a maximum of 10 people may be in the office at a time.
- Thorough and proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces should occur regularly. Staff should clean and disinfect their work stations weekly. Common areas such as lunchroom surfaces, meeting spaces should be wiped down after each use. Cleaning and disinfection procedures are attached in Appendix C.
- Guests entering the office should be asked to use sanitizer or wash their hands in the bathroom.
- During programming, the following precautions will be taken:
- Staff must maintain physical distancing from participants at all times. Staff should avoid activities that require close contact or gathering around a particular item or small area.
- If physical distancing cannot be maintained, a mask must be worn.
- Sanitize workshop supplies and surfaces being used before and after the programming.
- Sanitize surfaces in the van after each use. This includes steering wheel, doors, console, etc.
- Wash hands often, avoid contact with eyes, nose and mouth. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available.
- All staff will travel with a cleaning kit (hand sanitizer, Lysol wipes and/or disinfectant and paper towel) to programs.
- Staff must abide by all specific directives outlined by the host organization/school or group (i.e. required to wear a mask at all times in Robert Service School)
- Minimize workshops tools and supplies that will be shared.
- Staff must communicate to workshop host if and where they have travelled in the 14 days prior to the workshop.
- During travel to communities, the following precautions will be taken:
- Staff will travel with masks and wear their masks when entering businesses such as gas stations or grocery stores when passing through communities
- A maximum of 2 staff can travel in the vehicle together without the use of masks. If travelers exceed two, masks must be worn at all times.
- Travelling to/from communities with Covid-19 cases:
- If community spread is identified and active tracing is ongoing, staff must postpone their travel to the community. Similarly, if community spread occurs in Whitehorse our team will abstain from travelling.
- Follow the best practices and protocols of the community.
- Use extra caution such as increased handwashing and wearing masks through out workshop facilitation.
- Staff also have the right to decline work they don’t feel safe or comfortable with and should discuss any concerns with their direct supervisor
Appendix A: Red, Yellow, Green protocols
Red symptoms
- Cough
- Fever/chills
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Loss of taste or smell
If you have 1 or more red symptoms:
- Get a Covid-19 test. Testing is strongly recommended if you have 1 or more red symptoms.
- You must self-isolate and cannot attend work or take part in regular activities until tested and the result is negative.
- Call the COVID Testing Centre at 867-393-3083 to book a test.
- If you do not get tested, you must self-isolate for 10 days from the beginning of symptoms, even if the symptoms clear up in fewer than 10 days.
Yellow symptoms
- Headache
- Runny nose or congestion
- Sore throat
- Acute/intense fatigue
- Generalized muscle aches (not related to physical exertion)
- Significant loss of appetite
- Nausea/vomiting
- Diarrhea
When you have 2 or more yellow symptoms:
- Get tested. Testing is recommended if you have 2 or more yellow symptoms for more than 24 hours.
- You must self-isolate and cannot attend work or take part in regular activities until tested and the result is negative.
- Call the COVID Testing Centre at 867-393-3083 to book a test.
- If you do no get tested, self-isolation is still required. If symptoms clear up sooner than 10 days without testing, self-isolation is still required. That is unless you’re told otherwise by your family physician or your rural primary healthcare centre.
When you have 1 yellow symptom
You can return to work once the symptom goes away.
Exceptions
- If you are throwing up or have diarrhea, stay at home until 24 hours after symptoms have gone away.
- If the runny nose/nasal congestion lasts longer than 24 hours, is mild and not getting worse, and you are otherwise well, you may return to work.
You do not need a written note from your health care provider to return to school and or regular activities.
No symptoms
- You may go to work and return to regular activities.
- You should continue to follow the Safe 6.
This guidance does not apply if:
- You are a contact of someone who has COVID-19.
- You are severely immunocompromised or have a complex medical history.
- You have recently returned from travel outside of Yukon.
Appendix B: Protocols for working and Volunteering during Covid-19
All BYTE employees and volunteers must sign this agreement prior to providing any programming. This is part of our due diligence to ensure that everyone knows the best practices for keeping each other safe during the various pandemic phases.
Anyone providing BYTE programming has the following responsibilities:
- Wash your hands often, especially after contact with frequently touched items such as doorknobs, keyboards, railings, light switches, etc.
- Stay a minimum of 2 m (6 feet) away from other people. The health and safety guidelines indicate physical distancing is not always possible with children. Where not possible, risks are being reduced by increasing other measures like handwashing, cleaning, disinfecting and/or wearing a mask.
- Help lower the risk of spreading germs by sneezing or coughing into one’s elbow or tissue; avoid touching your face to protect yourself.
- Disinfect work surfaces such as desks, and any surfaces in areas used by others. Clean equipment and supplies before and after use. Avoid the use of shared materials.
- If you feel sick or are showing symptoms, you must stay home. If you have returned from outside Yukon and have been in an area that Yukon designates as restricted OR are in close contact with someone who has just arrived from such an area, stay home and self-isolate for 14 days
I agree to follow these protocols and recognize that I may be asked to leave the facilities if I don’t comply with them.
_________________________ _____________________________
Printed Name Signature
Appendix C: Cleaning and Disinfection Procedures
Thorough and proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces in work places (e.g., offices, stores, and publicly accessible areas) is important for preventing the spread of viruses. Below you will find a set of guidelines, which can be followed and adopted into existing cleaning practices.
Cleaning vs. disinfection
The terms cleaning and disinfection are two terms that are often mixed up and interpreted to mean the same thing. However, they are actually separate and describe two important steps in sanitation. Cleaning is the act of removing dirt, soil, and other impurities from all types of surfaces (e.g., wiping spilled food off a counter with detergent (soap) and water).
Disinfection is the act of destroying harmful micro-organisms, such as bacteria and viruses (e.g., wiping the counter with bleach). Cleaning alone will not be effective for the control of viruses or other organisms that cause respiratory infections. Disinfection must also be done, and since dirt and soil interfere with disinfectants (e.g., bleach) cleaning must be done before you disinfect.
However, if surfaces are not soiled, disinfection alone may be satisfactory. Use your good judgement as to when cleaning is and is not necessary. In addition, many products available today combine a cleaner with a disinfectant. Read the label carefully to ensure it contains a recognized disinfectant in a sufficient quantity.
BYTE has chosen Windex Antibacterial Disinfectant that is rated to kill 99.9% of bacteria and specifically formulated for Staph, Strep, Influenza A, Influenza B and Rhinovirus.
To disinfect a hard surface, please spray the required surface heavily with the Windex, let stand for 10 seconds and then wipe with paper towel or the mopping pads provided.
To disinfect more porous surfaces such as keyboard, computer mouse, etc spray Windex into paper towel and wipe down surface.
Areas to focus for the control of respiratory infections should include areas where people commonly gather, are publicly accessible, and where you meet with clients indoors. These would include:
· meeting areas and surfaces (such as the couch area at front of office, back room table, etc.)
· lunch / staff rooms
· bathrooms
· doorways
· offices
· hallways
Surfaces and objects in these areas are commonly touched and should be identified, cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis (until further notice):
· door knobs
· phones
· light switches
· desk tops
· computer keyboards
· computer “mice”
· table tops
· arm rests on chairs, top & bottom
· counter tops
· toilet flush handles
· sink taps
· fridge and microwave handles
Other areas and surfaces which are not commonly used, accessible, or touched (e.g., storage rooms, closets, floors, walls), should also be cleaned and disinfected, but less frequently.