Joint Statement From Primary Care Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in Oxford County

Wednesday, 1 April 2020 17:12

The 62 primary care physicians and nurse practitioners from Oxford County wrote a letter to regional residents, appealing for their cooperation in preventing further spread of COVID-19.

OXFORD COUNTY - Today, 62 primary care physicians and nurse practitioners from Oxford County wrote a letter to regional residents, appealing for their cooperation in preventing further spread of COVID-19.

The key takeaway from the letter is that the time is now to stay home with your immediate family and to only go out for essential items.

Do NOT:

- Attend playdates with friends off from school – try virtual playdates!
- Go to crowded places
- Have family or social gatherings such as dinner parties – use technology to keep up with friends and family!

They go on to say to do what you can to avoid contact with people outside of your immediate family as much as possible. Work from home if you can. Do what you must to isolate in your home. Keep trips to the grocery store short, and only send one family member.

For local business owners, we fully appreciate that temporarily closing your business will be of great hardship for you:

- For those of you who own restaurants/bars: we thank you for continuing to provide take-out/delivery options only, as per our provincial mandate.

- For those of you in other industries that closed before you were required to, thank you.
- For those of you who are considered an essential service, please do NOT request “sick notes” from your employees. In the coming weeks, the healthcare providers in our community will be “on duty” 24/7 and may not be able to provide these notes. If you are asked to provide a sick note, please note that the Ontario government has introduced legislation that will eliminate the need to provide a sick note during the COVID-19 outbreak.

You can read the entire letter online here.