Information for employees of Public Safety Canada: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
Telework and alternative work arrangements
Given the current exceptional circumstances and to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Public Safety employees who are currently working from home should continue to do so until further notice. At this time, we do not have a specific return date, however we continue to monitor the situation and will share further information as it becomes available.
Please limit all the use of our network and teleconferencing services for essential Public Safety work only.
Public Safety Guidance on Teleworking during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Guidance is provided with respect to supporting and protecting our employees and managers to keep them safe, providing suitable equipment and tools to do the job, and ensuring clarity in terms of responsibilities while working outside the office location. A set of evergreen Questions and Answers has been prepared to accompany this guidance during the pandemic.
Online Courses
All of the Canada School of Public Service's online self-paced courses are available through GCcampus, including all online mandatory training and self-paced language maintenance tools. The registration for the in-person classroom courses continues to be suspended until further notice.
Note: GCcampus is accessible through public networks. Please avoid using the Government of Canada network or VPN access when logging in.
Stay Informed
For the most up-to-date information and guidance for all public servants related to COVID-19 please refer to Canada.ca/coronavirus-publicservice or call the COVID-19 information line at 1-833-784-4397.
For information related to Public Safety office buildings regarding potential closures or emergencies please call the Staff Information Line at 1-866-843-0004.
For the latest updates from the Government of Canada on the COVID-19 situation, including preventative measures, please visit Canada.ca/coronavirus.
Prevention and Preparedness
The health and safety of all Canadians, including Public Safety employees, is our top priority.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with provinces, territories and international partners, including the World Health Organization, to actively monitor the situation. Global efforts are focused on containment of the outbreak and the prevention of further spread.
The situation changes rapidly and efforts underway are focused on containment of the outbreak and the prevention of further spread. You can stay healthy and prevent the spread of infections by:
- washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Refer to the handwashing guide from the Public Health Agency of Canada.
- avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
- avoiding close contact with people who are sick
- coughing or sneezing into your sleeve and not your hands
- staying home if you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others
- stay at home unless you have to go to work
- talk to your employer about working at home if possible
- avoid all non-essential trips in your community
- do not gather in groups
- limit contact with people at higher risk, such as older adults and those in poor health
- go outside to exercise but stay close to home
- if you leave your home, always keep a distance of at least 2 arms lengths (approximately 2 metres) from others
- household contacts (people you live with) do not need to distance from each other unless they are sick or have travelled in the last 14 days
If you become ill
If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, reduce your contact with others:
- isolate yourself at home for 14 days to avoid spreading it to others
- if you live with others, stay in a separate room or keep a 2-metre distance
- take the self-assessment test to guide your next steps
- visit a health care professional or call your local public health authority
- call ahead to tell them your symptoms and follow their instructions
It is important to remember that if you develop a fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath and/or difficulty breathing you should seek medical attention and report these symptoms to the occupational health and safety team and your manager.
Similarly, it is important that you advise the occupational health and safety team and your manager should you be tested for COVID-19.
Travel Advice
To limit the spread of COVID-19, the Government of Canada advises that you avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada until further notice. Avoid all cruise ship travel due to COVID-19.
If you have recently returned to Canada, the Government of Canada has put in place an Emergency Order under the Quarantine Act that applies to all travellers arriving in Canada in order to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19 in Canada. Failure to comply with this Order is an offence under the Quarantine Act.
Travellers with symptoms: mandatory isolation
If you have recently returned to Canada and you have symptoms, you must ISOLATE. This is mandatory. If required, immediate medical attention will be provided upon arrival in Canada.
For more information, visit Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel advice.
COVID-19 fraud
Employees should be aware of the current heightened risk of COVID-19 phishing campaigns to lure targets to click on a malicious link. The Communications Security Establishment’s Cyber Centre recommends employees use the following guidance to protect themselves from these types of attempts.
Additional information
For more detailed updates including blogs and internal emails, please log in to the corporate network and visit InfoCentral.
If you feel stressed or distressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t hesitate to contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at 1-800-268-7708 (1-800-567-5803 for hearing-impaired persons). If EAP services are impacted or if the situation is a mental health emergency, contact Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566 or 911.
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