Protecting residents at congregate care facilities

Overview

Public health orders are in effect to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, among seniors and at-risk groups for the following settings:

• Hospice settings
• Long-term care facilities
• Licensed supportive living facilities, including seniors lodges and group homes

Protections in licensed supportive living, long-term care and hospice settings

Easing COVID-19 measures in continuing care is part of Step 3 of Alberta’s path to return to normal. All existing requirements remain in place in these settings, including continuous masking for staff and visitors.

Support from family and friends

• Access to support and companionship from family and friends is essential to resident mental and physical health and wellbeing.
• Visiting family and friends must:
  • wear a mask continuously while indoors and in resident rooms (unless a significant communication barrier is present)
  • stay home if you have any symptoms of COVID-19, even if mild and even if you are fully vaccinated
• Family and friends who are not fully immunized are asked to strongly reconsider their need to attend to the resident onsite, indoors and in-person before entering the site.
  • Alternatives to onsite indoor in-person visits include outdoor visits, virtual visits and telephone calls.
• Operators have authority to implement additional site-based policies and processes for COVID-19 prevention (including requiring proof of vaccine or rapid testing) as appropriate to local context and consideration of resident preferences. These measures may be implemented based on consultation with residents and family members and, once implemented, apply to all persons entering the site.

Updated operational and outbreak standards

The following protections are in place to protect staff and residents from COVID-19:

• Staff, students, volunteers, service providers and visiting persons must continue to wear masks.
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfection processes must be followed.
• Staff, students, service providers, volunteers and visitors must have a health assessment screening when entering the building.
• Residents who are not fully immunized returning from absences of more than 24 hours are required to active screen daily for symptoms of COVID-19 and wear a mask while out of their room for 10 days.
• Residents and staff continue to be prioritized for PCR testing.
• Situation specific isolation and quarantine requirements remain.
• Outbreak procedures must be followed.
• Fully immunized staff are permitted to work across multiple long-term care or designated supportive living facility.
• Staff who are not fully immunized continue to be limited to working within one single long-term care or designated supportive living facility.

Read Continuing Care Accommodation and Health Service Standards to learn more about existing, pre-pandemic requirements.

Operational and outbreak standards

• Updated operational and outbreak standards for licensed supportive living, long-term care and hospices (Order 06-2022) – February 9, 2022
• Continuing care daily checklist: staff, service providers, students, volunteers, visitors and residents – February 9, 2022

Outbreak reporting

We publicly report locations of outbreaks in these facilities when there are 2 or more people with confirmed COVID-19. Find a list of COVID-19 outbreaks in Alberta, updated on Tuesday and Friday each week.

Home supports

Call or text 211, or visit ab.211.ca to get help finding resources in your community. 211 is a comprehensive referral system accessible to all Albertans.

Resources

• View all public health orders
• Questions and answers: COVID-19 requirements for licensed supportive living, long-term care and hospice settings – February 9, 2022
• CMOH letter to facility operators and staff – January 18, 2022