NFN: Offices Reopen to Public on March 15
Press Release
March 4, 2022 – Nipissing First Nation (NFN) staff returned to work in our offices and facilities on February 7th. Many staff had been working remotely since December 20th in response to the surge of COVID-19 activity resulting from the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
With Ontario gradually easing public health measures and lifting restrictions, our Crisis Control Group (CCG) has revisited NFN’s COVID-19 Exit Plan and made the following recommendations, which were approved at the regular meeting of Chief and Council on March 1st:
- NFN Offices: Reopen to the public on Tuesday, March 15th (closed Monday, March 14th for Nipissing Day).
Offices will be open during regular business hours: Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm (closed daily from
12:00pm to 1:00pm). All staff and visitors must continue sanitizing hands upon entering NFN buildings and are to continue wearing a face covering inside NFN facilities and vehicles. Visitors will be required to self-screen before entering an NFN facility or vehicle by reviewing the posted symptoms list.
- Proof of Vaccination: The requirement to provide proof of vaccination to enter NFN buildings will be lifted on March 14th at 12:01 a.m.
- Active Screening: Active screening requirements for NFN facilities will also be lifted on March 14th but will remain in place in certain higher risk settings such as our childcare centres.
- NFN-Hosted Events: Indoor events hosted by NFN in our facilities will resume starting on May 1st. Proof of vaccination will not be required; however, screeners must be in place for all indoor events hosted in NFN buildings. The province lifted capacity limits for indoor and outdoor events on March 1st.
- Community Space Rentals: NFN plans to open community space rentals to the public on May 31st. Proof of vaccination will not be required; however a screener must be in place for all community events hosted indoors in NFN facilities.
- Fitness Centre: Our Fitness Centre is permanently closed as it is not safe to use, however a fitness subsidy to reimburse members for gym memberships purchased elsewhere remains open for applications until June 30, 2022. Please contact Brandie Fong at 705-753-3312 ext. 3000 or email brandief@nfn.ca for more information on how to apply.
- Employee Vaccination Disclosure Policy & Testing Programs: NFN’s vaccination disclosure policy and testing program for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated staff members will remain in effect until lifted by all provincial ministries. Please note that this is different from proof of vaccination requirements for the general public and is intended to keep our staff and community safe.
REOPENING TIMELINES
As of March 4, 2022
March 15, 2022
- Offices reopen to public •Proof of vaccination and activescreening requiremements lifted for public to enter NFN buildings
- All staff and visitors required to sanitize hands upon entering and to wear a face covering while inside NFN buildings & vehicles
May 1, 2022
- NFN-hosted indoor events resume with screeners in place
- Proof of vaccination not required •All staff and visitors required tosanitize hands upon entering and to wear a face covering while inside NFN buildings
May 31, 2022
- NFN community space rentals will be open to the public.
- Proof of vaccination not required •Screener must be in place for all community events hosted in NFNfacilities
- All staff and visitors required to sanitize hands upon entering and to wear a face covering as required while inside NFN buildings
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