KIRKLAND LAKE – Citing current and anticipated pressure on hospital capacity and staffing complement, the impact of the Omicron variant, and an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients requiring treatment, Blanche River Health has announced the following:

• Essential caregivers visiting hospital patients must provide proof of full vaccination and take part in a COVID-19 surveillance testing protocol.

• Some visiting specialist program services have been temporarily postponed.

• All elective and non-surgeries are currently postponed, as per the recent reinstatement of the directive by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.