COVID-19 Update: Message from RCDSO President
Dear Colleagues,Since I wrote to you last, the COVID-19 picture in Ontario has started to trend towards improvement. It seems clear that the measures that we have all taken are making a difference.
Those measures have obviously included restrictions on how we in dentistry work. That has not been easy for many of us – and the pandemic is far from over.
As President of the RCDSO I am proud of the way our profession has handled this crisis. We have relied on the science as best we can. Where the evidence has not been clear, we have opted for caution
I am grateful to all of you for conducting yourselves as the professionals you truly are. Our patients trust us to do the right thing and to act, always, in their best interests. We must always maintain that trust. By doing so we will also help to protect the health and safety of dentists and staff.
At the College, we continue to plan for the next steps. The Government of Ontario has extended the state of emergency until June 2nd at the earliest. It may well be extended again.
Our guidance on Returning to Practice will be made available as soon as possible. We are already getting feedback on a set of draft principles and protocols. The aim is to get you the latest evidence-based advice on how to safely reopen your practice in a staged and manageable way.
We are not in this alone. We are in regular discussions with colleagues in Ontario and across the country. I can assure you, though, that our guidance will address, as always, what is in the public’s interest in Ontario, drawing on Ontario data and meeting Ontario’s needs.
There are some things we cannot do, as Regulator. We cannot supply the PPE that we all need – though we can and do lobby for PPE to be made available. We cannot fix the devastating economic effects of the pandemic or cushion the blow for dentists.
What we can do is fulfil our mandate to act in the public’s interest. I know that, like me, you have no interest in reopening an office that is unsafe for patients or staff or dentists. Our guidance will provide the best advice we can on how to proceed safely.
With best wishes,
Dr. Flavio Turchet
President, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario