Skip to main content

COVID-19

The Lake Country Heritage and Cultural Society, operating the Lake Country Museum & Archives is following provincial and federal guidelines to manage the impacts of COVID-19. Specifically from: WorkSafe BC; the BC Ministry of Health; and the Government of Canada as well as guidance by the BC Museum Association and the Canadian Conservation Institute. Guidance includes immediate implementation of work from home; ‘stay home if sick’ protocols; physical distancing; cleaning and disinfecting procedures; providing outlets and channels for reporting and discussing concerns; plus, collections management and security.

The Society has transitioned to a Communicable Disease Prevention Policy and will continue to adjust as the situation evolves. The policies noted below are implemented at the museum.

Policies:

A. Limit the number of people at the workplace and ensure physical distance whenever possible through the following recommendations:

1. Work from home where possible.
2. Change work schedules for staff and volunteers to ensure distancing measures are maintained.
Update schedules as needed.
3. Create and post signs for staff and visitors on social distancing protocols.
4. Hold virtual meetings.
5. Create and post washroom cleaning procedures.
6. Wear gloves when handling artifacts and shared resources.
7. Visitors occupancy is at 50% or 30 individuals 

B. Create barriers and partitions between individuals by:

1. Ensure visitors, volunteers and staff hand sanitize on entry to the building.
2. Clean entry and exit doorknobs as well as any communal use touch points after every visitor,
volunteer or staff exit.
3. Restrict access to the Wentworth Cabin during COVID – 19.
4. Create one-way traffic flow using floor signage.
5. Develop a staging area outside for visitors to wait safe entry. Use ground signage to ensure
appropriate distancing.
6. Create entry and museum use instructions along with a map. Post signs. For example: “Stop!
Only enter the next exhibit room once visitors have left.

C. Administer rules, guidelines, and communication processes by:

1. Develop separate workstations in different museum rooms for staff and volunteers to ensure
personal distance.
2. Assign workstations to only one individual.
3. Sanitize computer and workspace after every use.
4. Use the WorkSafeBC COVID-19: A guide to reducing the risk for staff training purposes as well as
the Safety Plan to outline the rules and guidelines.
5. Communicate guidelines and processes to staff and volunteers by literature distribution and
onsite training sessions.
6. Follow occupational first aid attendants (OFAA) protocols when dealing with first aid treatments.
Supply copies of procedures to staff and volunteers.
D. Using masks (optional measure in addition to other control measures)

1. Staff to be trained on mask use when required.

E. Clean to reduce the risk of surface transmission through hygiene practices:

1. Create posters to remind staff and the public about the importance of hand washing, cleaning,
and disinfecting.
2. Remove coffee/refreshment station.
3. Post in the washroom hand washing instructions.
4. Provide disinfecting soap and bathroom cleaner to disinfect taps, handles and doorknobs.
5. Supply gloves and masks.
6. Create cleaning stations with disinfectant for staff to hand sanitize, clean surfaces, and disinfect
high contact areas.
7. Clean the museum weekly. Provide sanitization training to the volunteer cleaner.
8. Ensure safety measures are in place for no contact with infected surfaces. Use gloves and clean
cloths of paper towels. This may include wearing a mask.
9. Undertake a contamination risk assessment of the collection and archives.
10. Artifacts and archival material are not to be cleaned by harsh disinfectants or cleaners. If items
are sensitive to viral exposure, items are to be covered with clear plastic or removed from the
exhibit space.