Protect your health and your community
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Protect your community
Federal assistance for COVID-19 emergency health supports
Personal protective equipment
ISC maintains a stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitizers that is available to Indigenous communities and organizations during COVID-19 and other emergencies.
The stockpile is accessible:
- in cases where other sources of PPE are unavailable
- to ensure the safety of health workers and others supporting delivery of health services
How to access the equipment
Indigenous communities and organizations should contact their regional office if their usual supplier and provincial or territorial government are unable to process their PPE requests.
Regional offices work with ISC's national office on equipment requests for health care purposes.
ISC is processing PPE requests with quick turnaround to ensure communities are ready to respond to COVID-19 as effectively as possible.
Communications resources
Communications resources on topics related to community health and safety that can be shared with or adapted to your community:
Protect your health
How to avoid getting and spreading COVID-19
- wear a mask and wash your hands often
- use caution in closed and crowded spaces
- attend outdoor events over indoor ones
- get a COVID-19 vaccine when eligible
- stay home when you are sick
- cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze
COVID-19 and mental wellness
COVID-19 can impact your mental health. Mental health counselling is available.
Use these supports if you need help or you know someone who needs help.
If you are sick
If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing you should isolate yourself at home in accordance with your local and provincial or territorial guidelines to avoid spreading it to others
Hand hygiene and drinking water advisories
If your community is on a boil water advisory or do not consume advisory, you should still use your water to wash your hands with soap and water and for personal hygiene. Infants and toddlers should be sponge bathed in order to avoid accidentally swallowing the water.
If you are on a do not use advisory, your water is not safe for any use. Use bottled water with soap or hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to wash your hands.
If you do not have access to running water, wash your hands in a large bowl and then throw out the water from the handwashing bowl after each individual use.
COVID-19 is not known to spread through water.