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Operation Laser
Operation Laser (stylized as Operation LASER) is a domestic operation of the Canadian Armed Forces for contingency planning and response in the event of a pandemic. Its three goals are: protecting CAF personnel and capability, assessing CAF capabilities to respond to a pandemic, and assisting other government departments in the event of a pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Operation Laser was first activated on March 2, 2020; with escalation to Phase 3 of the operation on March 13. Under Operation Laser, military medical personnel and resources were deployed to certain long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario to assist with operating those facilities. These deployments were authorized by the Department of National Defence at the request of those provinces' premiers, François Legault and Doug Ford.
Long-term care homes were impacted heavily by the pandemic; Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Theresa Tam reported on April 13, 2020 that at least half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada had been linked to long-term care homes (with the exact number varying by province), and that "these deaths will continue to increase, even as the epidemic growth rate slows down. Tam cited factors such as outside visitors, communal living spaces, and staff being transferred among multiple facilities, as particular vulnerabilities. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing staffing issues at some facilities, including underpaid staff, and being understaffed in general. On April 28, Tam stated that as many of 79 percent of Canada's COVID-19 fatalities occurred in long-term care homes.
Health Canada issued recommendations for long-term care homes, encouraging them to restrict outside visitors and volunteers, restrict employees from being transferred between multiple facilities, provide personal protective equipment, enforce physical distancing during meals, screen staff and essential visitors, On April 15, Trudeau announced that the federal government planned to provide additional pay to long-term care workers.
On April 17, the Department of National Defence (DND) agreed that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) could deploy in Quebec at long-term care facilities (LTCF). They agreed to send 100 military personnel in response to a request by Premier François Legault.
On April 20, the CAF deployed in Quebec. Inside the long-term care facilities, the only uniforms worn were medical scrubs.
On April 22, Doug Ford placed a request that the CAF come to the aid of Ontario's LTCF, just like Francois Legault had done previously in Quebec.
On May 7, the CAF reported that it had deployed "almost all of its medical capacity" in Quebec LTCF. "The Canadian military has stripped bases across the country of their uniformed medical personnel to support long-term care homes in Quebec that have been overrun by COVID-19." At the time, in Ontario, 250 soldiers worked in five LTCFs. As the Ontario mission progressed, this number was increased to seven LTCFs. By middle of May, Quebec would see 1,350 soldiers in 25 LTCFs.
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Operation Laser
Operation Laser (stylized as Operation LASER) is a domestic operation of the Canadian Armed Forces for contingency planning and response in the event of a pandemic. Its three goals are: protecting CAF personnel and capability, assessing CAF capabilities to respond to a pandemic, and assisting other government departments in the event of a pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada Operation Laser was first activated on March 2, 2020; with escalation to Phase 3 of the operation on March 13. Under Operation Laser, military medical personnel and resources were deployed to certain long-term care facilities in Quebec and Ontario to assist with operating those facilities. These deployments were authorized by the Department of National Defence at the request of those provinces' premiers, François Legault and Doug Ford.
Long-term care homes were impacted heavily by the pandemic; Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Theresa Tam reported on April 13, 2020 that at least half of COVID-19 deaths in Canada had been linked to long-term care homes (with the exact number varying by province), and that "these deaths will continue to increase, even as the epidemic growth rate slows down. Tam cited factors such as outside visitors, communal living spaces, and staff being transferred among multiple facilities, as particular vulnerabilities. The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing staffing issues at some facilities, including underpaid staff, and being understaffed in general. On April 28, Tam stated that as many of 79 percent of Canada's COVID-19 fatalities occurred in long-term care homes.
Health Canada issued recommendations for long-term care homes, encouraging them to restrict outside visitors and volunteers, restrict employees from being transferred between multiple facilities, provide personal protective equipment, enforce physical distancing during meals, screen staff and essential visitors, On April 15, Trudeau announced that the federal government planned to provide additional pay to long-term care workers.
On April 17, the Department of National Defence (DND) agreed that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) could deploy in Quebec at long-term care facilities (LTCF). They agreed to send 100 military personnel in response to a request by Premier François Legault.
On April 20, the CAF deployed in Quebec. Inside the long-term care facilities, the only uniforms worn were medical scrubs.
On April 22, Doug Ford placed a request that the CAF come to the aid of Ontario's LTCF, just like Francois Legault had done previously in Quebec.
On May 7, the CAF reported that it had deployed "almost all of its medical capacity" in Quebec LTCF. "The Canadian military has stripped bases across the country of their uniformed medical personnel to support long-term care homes in Quebec that have been overrun by COVID-19." At the time, in Ontario, 250 soldiers worked in five LTCFs. As the Ontario mission progressed, this number was increased to seven LTCFs. By middle of May, Quebec would see 1,350 soldiers in 25 LTCFs.