The provincial government has introduced new measures to protect long-term-care facility residents and staff from the spread of COVID-19.

On April 6, 2020, Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, gave a news conference outlining the new steps.

These include screening all residents and staff once a day, and twice a day if operationally feasible; physical distancing; and additional steps to be taken if a COVID-19 case is diagnosed. All respiratory illnesses must be reported to Public Health.

The measures also specify new requirements for facility cleaning and disinfection regimes. This includes twice-daily cleaning and disinfection of high-touch services; the use of hospital-grade disinfectants with a drug-identification number; and that any equipment shared between residents must be cleaned and disinfected before use on or by another resident.

The full directive for long-term-care facilities can be found on the Government of Nova Scotia website.