Symptomatic Medical Staff
Cases and persons under investigation (PUI) should remain isolated at home. Cases, with or without a history of travel, who have respiratory symptoms that can be managed at home, to self-isolate at home for at least 5 days after onset of their symptoms. After 5 days, if their temperature is normal and they feel better, they can return to their routine activities. Coughing may persist for several weeks, so a cough alone does not mean they need to continue to self-isolate for more than 5 days.
Healthcare workers with mild symptoms do not need negative testing to return to work, once their symptoms have resolved.
Click here for Exposures and Return to Work for Health Care Workers guidance from the BCCDC.
Travel History
Island Health medical staff are not exempt from federal travel and quarantine requirements. Please visit the Government of Canada COVID-19 Travel, testing, quarantine and borders webpage https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid for the most up to date information.
Medical staff are expected to determine if they are required to quarantine upon return from out of country travel and to work with their colleagues and their division and department heads to arrange coverage if required.
In the event that they are required to quarantine but not able to arrange coverage and are traveling for unavoidable reasons, medical staff may return to work if deemed essential. Determination as to who is essential will be made by the appropriate Executive Medical Director and the VP Medicine, or his delegate, on the advice of program leadership. These members of medical staff are expected to mask in the workplace, monitor for symptoms and be tested urgently should any symptoms consistent with COVID-19 develop.
Physician Quarantine
Payment for Physician who undergo MHO quarantine as a result of COVID-19 exposure:
Under the terms of the physician master agreement, payment is available for medical staff who undergo quarantine at the order of a Medical Health Officer. There is agreement at the Ministry of Health that the order to undergo quarantine may be issued by either the Provincial MHO or the local MHO.
Physicians who are required to undergo quarantine will be instructed by the DoBC how to apply for the funding. Physicians required to be quarantined should call DoBC for that advice.
A physician can access the funding for multiple quarantines.