Northern Health has issued a COVID-19 exposure warning for a local taxi service.
Anyone who used the services of Prince George Taxi between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Oct. 2 or Oct. 3 may have been exposed to COVID, according to a statement issued by Northern Health.
"Anyone who feels that may apply to them... we're just asking them to self-monitor for symptoms," Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins said.
If someone has been exposed, they should take extra care to self monitor until Oct. 17 – one full incubation period after their exposure. If they do begin to show symptoms, they should self-isolate and call 1-844-645-7811 for more information.
If they remain health, they are not required to self-isolate, Collins added.
Northern Health can't confirm that a driver with the service tested positive for COVID-19 because of privacy considerations, Collins said. However, the exposure period was two full shifts.
Public health officials are attempting to contact anyone who may have been been exposed, but the public is being warned "out of an abundance of caution," Collins said.
Prince George Taxi manager Sam Kuuluvainen said the company provided Northern Health with information to help contact every person who may have been exposed.
"I was quite concerned when the incident happened," Kuuluvainen said. "I sent them all of our trip data from Oct. 1 to yesterday. They should easily be able to find all the people he had driven."
Kuuluvainen said public health officials didn't tell him which driver was involved, and wasn't even told which days the exposure took place – he found that out reading media reports on the exposure.
"They haven't told me anything," he said.
The company's taxies are owned independently, he said. Each vehicle owner is required to have a bottle of cleaner and a bottle of hand sanitizer available.
"I've given at least three bottles of hand sanitizer to every driver," Kuuluvainen said.
Drivers are expected to clean the credit card machine every time it is used, and wipe down the high-touch areas between each fare, he said. In addition, each vehicle is supposed to be cleaned thoroughly at the end of each shift.
"Probably about half the cars have shields in them," he said.
Customers can request a taxi that has a driver shield in place, he added. The company's board will be reviewing its policies, and may require all taxis to have a driver shield.WorkSafeBC has published the following COVID-19 safety rules for taxi operators:
• As much as possible, avoid physical contact with passengers. Eliminate the use of the front passenger seat, where passenger numbers allow for it, to maintain physical distancing.
• Keep tissues and wipes within reach of passengers and immediately dispose of them after use in a garbage bag within reach.
• Provide hand sanitizer for passengers to use at the start of the ride.
• Use hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes after you handle cash or cards.
• Increase signage at taxi-ranks advising passengers of basic hygiene etiquette.
• Employers need to provide drivers with an adequate supply of hand sanitizers and alcohol-based disinfectant wipes.
• Ensure seats, door handles, and windows are wiped down between fares.
Consider asking passengers to handle their own personal bags and belongings during pick-up and drop-off, if possible.
• Where the size and design of the vehicle allows, consider installing a physical barrier (e.g., plexiglass or temporary vinyl) between the front seats and the back seats, if possible.
Where passenger signatures may be required, consider developing policies and technology options to limit or eliminate close contact and the sharing of items such as pens and electronic signature pads between drivers and passengers.
• As part of the booking process, consider reminding passengers about the preventive measures being taken to reduce risk to drivers and passengers.
• Consider minimizing shared rides so passengers are not travelling with individuals unknown to them.
