A Message to Members Re: COVID-19

Good afternoon,

This morning, the Premier announced that all public sector workers who are currently traveling outside of Canada or plan to will be subject to a 14-day mandatory self-isolation period. This will apply to all public sector workers: health care workers in the acute and community care sector, including those who work at private facilities that are publicly-funded; civil servants; and teachers. Anyone who is able to work from home will be expected to do so. We have been assured that any members who are affected by this decision will not be without pay as a result of this measure: if you are being told otherwise by your employer, or you have other questions or concerns relating to this policy, please contact us immediately by calling 902-424-4063 (toll-free 1-877-556-7438) or emailing inquiry@nsgeu.ca.

I was pleased to see government make such a bold decision to ensure the health and safety of all Nova Scotians, and I am calling on all of our members to do their part of make responsible choices to help limit the spread of COVID-19 within our province.

The Premier also announced that they are encouraging people to limit public gatherings to include fewer than 150 people.

The NSGEU will continue to closely monitor the public health and safety risk associated with the COVID-19 outbreak, as the wellbeing of our staff and our membership is our utmost priority.

We will continue to update you on our plans in light of the evolving risks. We recognize that these risks may impact upcoming events and activities for the union, including local meetings, and we are preparing for these possible impacts.

In the meantime, we encourage all members to follow all the advice of our public health officials. The Chief Medical Officer has also stressed that you should not call 811 unless you have travelled outside of Canada and have symptoms of COVID-19. Please visit the public health website for up-to-date information on best-practices and protocols.

The NSGEU is also closely monitoring the use of our public spaces in our building. This includes contacting external organizations who are using our space to see whether they intend to proceed with their events. In the meantime, our staff has been asked to clean all surfaces in the building including the public areas in our building more frequently.

In this time of uncertainty, please be safe.

In solidarity,

Jason MacLean

President, NSGEU