As of May 27th, the Ontario Government and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health are allowing Regulated Health Professionals, which included Massage Therapists, to gradually restart work. The new directive must be carried out with the adherence of strict guidelines which are explained below. ​

Infection Control Measures & Plan for Returning to Practice:

Here identifies our new practice guidelines as required by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the College of Massage Therapists Ontario (CMTO) to minimize the risk of the spread of COVID-19 but does not eliminate it. The nature of Massage Therapy makes physical distancing impossible, so following the new protocols is crucial. 

• Patients will be informed about their responsibilities at the time of booking and must agree to adhere to the new safety measures.
  
• At the time of their appointment booking, patients will be sent a link to complete the online COVID-19 Symptom Self-Assessment Questionnaire 
  
• Symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to other respiratory illnesses and seasonal allergies. An appointment must be cancelled immediately if either the patient or the therapist presents with even mild symptoms that may be signs of Covid-19 including: Fever, Cough, Chills, Shortness of breath, Sore throat or pain with swallowing, Stuffy or runny nose, Loss of sense of smell, Headache, Muscle aches, Fatigue, Loss of appetite.
  
• As a part of this consent form, patients must commit to understanding that while I’ve taken all possible measures to minimize risk of viral transmission, the nature of massage therapy and other treatments means that physical distancing is not possible in the treatment room.
  
• In order for massage therapy treatment to commence the therapeutic benefit of massage therapy outweigh any potential consequence of treatment, including the possibility of viral transmission.
  
• Patients must confirm that they have not been in contact with anyone displaying illness, or signs and symptoms of Covid-19 within 14 days prior to their treatment.
  
• Patients with higher risk profiles and/or weakened immune systems should consider alternatives for care and postpone treatment.
  

• If a patient is feeling unwell and must cancel their appointment, they will NOT be charged, however with our limited availability and an extensive waiting list of patients in discomfort wanting in, PLEASE provide as much notice as possible so we can fill your appointment.
• MISSED APPOINTMENTS WILL STILL BE CHARGED FULL FEE.
  

• Your Therapist will have completed a Self-Assessment and confirm their results upon your arrival, and you will be verbally re-screened. Your results will be charted and attached to their file. 
• Patients may enter the clinic no more than 5 minutes prior to their appointment start time. A second verbal patient screening will take place with your therapist once in the treatment room.
• Patients will be required to wear a mask for the entire length of their visit to the clinic. Please bring one with you. If you do not have one, a 3 ply surgical procedural mask will be provided to you at an additional cost of $2.00
• Patients must confirm that they have not travelled outside Ontario within 14 days prior to their appointment.
• The treatment will be cancelled immediately if the patient does not meet the pre-screening criteria.
• A log will be kept of all people entering the office/treatment space; including couriers, guardians, clients, etc to assist with contact tracing if ever required. This will be explained to clients and that they can refuse to provide their name and phone #. 

• Patients must arrive unaccompanied unless a patient is a minor or requires assistance
• Appointments will be spaced apart for adequate time for cleaning and allow for proper physical distancing. Should you encounter another person while in the clinic space, please stay 6 feet apart.
• Therapists and the patient will both maintain a space of 2 meters (6 feet) distance between each other in all areas outside the treatment room.
• Office Admin will be present at the time of your treatment and will maintain a space of 2 meters (6 feet) distance between you in the reception area.
• All unnecessary items that cannot be disinfected after each client will be removed from the office/treatment room (including business cards, water cooler, magazines etc. )
• Patients are asked to arrive no more than 10 minutes early for their appointment, as the therapist may still be disinfecting and airing out the treatment room from the previous appointment.
• It is not possible to maintain physical distancing while in the treatment room.

• Immediately upon entering the patient must EITHER:
• Go directly to the washroom without touching anything and wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and then dry thoroughly with paper towel OR
• Use the hand sanitizer provided at the front entrance door.
• Therapists will follow proper hand washing techniques for at least 20 seconds before and after every appointment and after disinfecting.

• The therapist will wear a mask at all times.
• Patients are also required to wear face masks that cover both the nose and mouth.
• Muscles of the face will not be treated at this time. 

• Additional time has been scheduled between patients to allow for thorough cleaning of the treatment room in accordance with infection control protocols outlined by the Ministry of Health and CMTO.
• The treatment table, table levers, face cradle, pillows, stool and lotion bottles will be disinfected immediately after each treatment.
• All linens are single use only and will be laundered using high heat, detergent and between each use. Blankets have been removed from the treatment rooms and will be provided upon request. 
• Everything else including chairs, stool, door knobs, light switches will be cleaned/disinfected after every appointment.
• The bathroom will be disinfected after any patient uses it and before new patients arrive, but it is recommended that clients use their own bathrooms before arriving at their appointment to limit the number of areas they come in contact with.
• An air purifier can be used during and/or after appointments.  

• Therapists will wear a face mask at all times as required by the CMTO and Ministry of Health.
• Safety Glasses or face shield may be used, but are not required by the CMTO/MOH.
• Patients are required to wear a facemask. They can be fabric or disposable. 
• If patients have their own fabric facemask, they are requested to bring it, otherwise they can purchase one for $2

• Therapist will immediately call public health to report the alleged transmission, providing the contact details of the client and Therapist.
• A log will be kept of all people entering the office/treatment space; including couriers, guardians, clients, etc to assist with contact tracing if ever required. This log will be kept confidential for privacy reasons but patients can refuse to provide their name and phone #.
• Therapist will immediately self-isolate until Public Health has investigated and provided direction.

• Asymptomatic transmission of the coronavirus is an unavoidable risk of practice until we’ve acquired herd immunity, there is an effective treatment or vaccine against Covid-19.

• Any massage therapy treatment involves some risk of Covid-19 transmission;
• Therapist are following protocol to help reduce or mitigate risk where possible, but that risk cannot be reduced to zero
• The patient believes the risks outweigh the benefits of the treatment, and consents to treatment despite the risks.
  
• Therapist will document the patient’s consent in advance and at every treatment.

We would like to thank you all for your patience & support over these last few months. This has been a challenging time for everyone with a huge impact on our clinic in so many ways.

Presently our office is still CLOSED for all services. While we are all VERY eager to resume services, coming back to work will be a gradual restart and the decision that each therapist will be making individually.

In response to requests, inquiries & questions since the government announcement, we would like to add to our previous notice & clarify how the recent announcement pertains to WHITBY MASSAGE THERAPY AND WELLNESS.

On Wednesday, May 27th the Ontario Government & the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health, provided a new directive for Regulated Health Professionals that allow for a gradual restart of services to be carried out with strict adherence to detailed standards & guidance from each health profession’s regulatory college.

WE MUST CLARIFY, this announcement was a general statement which means, not all Regulated Health Professionals will be opening at the same time. Our first priority & responsibility as business is to maintain the health & safety of our team, their families and our patients.

As a clinic, we are hard at work ensuring that all of the operational policies and procedures set out by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and the Ministry of Health are in place prior to opening. Over the next couple days we will continue to work towards our ‘gradual-re-opening plan’ and decide on our official start date.

• Our entire team is currently undergoing extensive re-training to meet and exceed the minimum requirements set in place by the ministry of health and our respective professional regulatory colleges. 
• We are patiently waiting for our supplies to arrive. We are required to re-equip our spaces and have ample Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available for use. Most supplies are currently on backorder with the manufactures, and although purchased, they are not yet available. 
• Our online appointment book will remain closed to allow for us to prioritize the re-booking of our patients who had previously booked appointments based on their needs.
• We will be giving booking priority to our current patients with the most clinical essential need for treatment.
• We will not be accepting new patients until we are able to fulfill the demand of our current patients. 
• If you are wanting to book an appointment, please submit a request on our website at whitbymassage.com and you will be added to our waitlist. 
• One of our admin staff will contact you when we are ready to begin booking our therapists schedules. 
• We will be experiencing limited Therapist availability and limited availability within their schedules as they gradually phase back to work. 
• Pre screening will take place before all appointments are booked as a part of our new procedures.  
• Based on current government requirements, patients will be required to wear a mask For the FULL DURATION of their visit to the clinic.  
• We will do our best to try and accommodate everyone in time but ask for your patience as we have limited capacity!
• We will continue updating you in the coming days and weeks with what to expect when you come in for an appointment with us during the covid pandemic.