Phase one of Saskatchewan’s reopen plan gets underway on Monday when the province will allow medical services to resume operations that will be restricted under the public health order.
Among the practices that will be allowed to open their doors are physical therapy clinics.
However places like the Regina Sports & Physiotherapy Clinic are still waiting for personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to be delivered before they can start accepting clients.
Keith Fitzsimmons, one of the owners and clinic director at Regina Sports & Physiotherapy Clinic, said their order will not be in on time for them to open on the first day of phase one.
“Although we can theoretically open on May 4, we certainly aren’t and I think most of our other physiotherapy clinics in the province are going to be in the same situation,” shared Fitzsimmons.
“Most didn’t have access to the required PPE and the required levels because it wouldn’t have been a standard part of our practice on a regular basis before COVID-19.”
Fitzsimmons mentioned that they ordered supplies long before Premier Scott Moe’s announcement of reopening the province’s economy in phases.
With a worldwide shortage in PPE supplies, the clinic’s delivery date has been delayed.
“The earliest date we still have for face masks in particular, which is the only item we’re still waiting for, is a delivery date on the week of the 11th of May,” said Fitzsimmons.
“Shipping companies are also working under restrictions, so some of those dates are a little fluid.”
He admitted they might not receive their shipment until possibly the week following the May long weekend.
It means clients will have to wait a little longer before they can visit the clinic. But Fitzsimmons stressed they want to make sure they help their visitors by making it safe not only for them, but for their employees.
