Registrar's Directives
Registrar’s Directive: Food and beverages prohibited indoors – Toronto, Peel, Ottawa and York
| Effective Monday, Oct. 19, this Registrar’s Directive prohibits the serving of food or beverages indoors at all funeral services in parts of Ontario that have moved to a modified Stage 2 (Toronto, Peel, Ottawa and York health unit areas) as part of COVID-19 safety measures. Reminder: Cleanliness is a must Be vigilant in the cleaning and disinfecting of your facilities, as the latest international research indicates that the coronavirus can live on some surfaces for 28 days. As you know: Funeral homes must clean and disinfect between each funeral service, including visitations or receptions. You should also make sure that washrooms or any areas that were used by people in the previous funeral service/visitation/reception are cleaned and disinfected before the next group enters. To emphasize the need for disinfecting and cleaning thoroughly, please read this article from Bloomberg News, which ran in several international and Canadian publications during the last week. The article states: “Scientists at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness showed SARS-CoV-2 is “extremely robust,” surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes at room temperature, or 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). That compares with 17 days survival for the flu virus…The findings add to evidence that the Covid-19-causing coronavirus survives for longer in cooler weather, making it potentially harder to control in winter than summer.” Reminder: Measures still in place These Registrar’s Directives issued recently by the BAO remain in effect: Sept. 20 – Province-wide cemetery gathering limits Oct. 9 – Cemeteries to continue interments as late into the season as safely possible BAO FAQ Read our handful of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ), which is also found on our BAO COVID-19 Ready…together web index page. -Carey Smith, CEO/Registrar |
