Ottawa Mission “doing well” amid seventh wave of pandemic
Posted Jul 26, 2022 01:00:00 PM.
The Ottawa Mission says it is “doing well” amid the seventh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the shelter's chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Tilley, the majority of the enhanced health and safety protocols introduced earlier in the pandemic continue to be maintained.
“As far as staff and our response, we're still wearing masks, those who interact with the clients are still wearing shields — we're still following most protocols,” Tilley told CityNews Ottawa on Monday, July 25. “We're still encouraging any new clients who may not have been vaccinated or may not have current boosters to get those in the clinic next door.”
Tilley felt it was in the best interest to maintain COVID-related safety protocols considering the Mission is a congregate setting for vulnerable people.
The Mission has slightly reopened a portion of its dining room to allow more people per table, but Tilley is confident the shelter is prepared to handle whatever the seventh wave will bring.
“We haven't seen a high number of people testing positive, just an odd case here and there as we were seeing before the seventh wave,” Tilley explained.
Despite safety protocols remaining in place at the shelter, Tilley feels there is one concern present amid the current wave.
“The only concern always is the effect on the clients if they are out in the community and there is an outbreak going on that somebody could bring that back into the shelter, but our protocols are still strong,” he said.
While the Mission has encountered sporadic cases of COVID-19, Tilley assured the shelter is not seeing the level of transmission required to declare an outbreak.
Tilley told The Sam Laprade Show with guest host Derick Fage on Tuesday, July 26 that the the rise in inflation and escalating food costs have been posing some challenges.
“We have had a good response from donors, but this time of the year isn't as busy with fundraising,” he said. “We hope to get some campaigns going in September and October.”
Listen to the full interview with Peter Tilley below:
