Strict new rules for apartment dwellers who are self-isolating

By GILLIAN SLADE on April 1, 2020.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

Alberta Health says self-isolating in your apartment could mean no access to laundry facilities for the duration.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer for Alberta, announced Monday increased restrictions for those required to self-isolate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those in apartments will not be allowed to leave their individual units. That means unless you have your own laundry in your apartment you will not be allowed to access the laundry in your apartment building.

“Anyone who is under mandatory self-isolation should not leave their apartment to do laundry. We know this is incredibly difficult, but this is what we must do to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect each other,” said Tom McMillan, a spokesperson for Hinshaw.

He said it was not possible to provide any guidelines on how to handle the lack of laundry facilities and the implications of this.

“If necessary, that may mean laundry is delayed until after self-isolation is complete,” said McMillan.

A mandatory 14-day self-isolation period is required for returning international travellers and those who have had close contact with people with confirmed COVID-19.

A mandatory 10-day self-isolation for people with symptoms that are not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition is also required. The symptoms include a cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose or sore throat.

If you live in a house you are allowed to leave your house but must remain on your own property. Walks are no longer allowed.

Alberta Health is requesting that Albertans use their support network to help those around them who are self-isolating.

“Whether it is doing laundry, picking up groceries or other essentials, we all need to look out for our neighbours who are in a time of self-isolation,” said McMillan.

Alberta Health is noting the importance of creating a household action plan in advance so that if you need to self-isolate you already know how you will handle your needs.

Other implications of self-isolating particularly for those in an apartment building includes how you will handle deliveries to the building if you are unable to give remote access to the building.

If you do not have a mechanism to allow someone into the building to deliver a package to your apartment unit, you will have to arrange for someone within the building to collect the package from outside the building and deliver it to your unit door.

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