What’s happening?

With news of the Wuhan Novel Coronavirus (“Coronavirus”) making headlines, employees, volunteers and visitors may be concerned about exposure.

Health officials for Toronto, Ontario and Canada have advised that the risk for contracting Coronavirus remains low, and additional safety protocols are not necessary.

At this time, it is business is as usual at the AGO. We will continue to monitor the situation and take the advice of health officials.

What can I do?

To help prevent exposure to a range of illnesses, follow common proper hygiene practices. This includes:

•Get a flu shot each year.
•Wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
•Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth especially with unwashed hands.
•Avoid close contact with people who are ill.
•Stay home when ill.
•Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in the garbage and wash hands.
•If there is no tissue, sneeze or cough into a sleeve or arm, not a hand.
•Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Hand sanitizer stations are located throughout the Gallery.

Public health officials do not recommend the use of masks, as it is not always an effective way to stop the spread of infections and in some cases may actually increase chances of contracting an illness by spreading germs from the hands to the face.

The AGO’s food and beverage outlets already adhere to the highest health and safety standards and will continue to be vigilant in its everyday practices.

Communication and collaboration between different levels of government and agencies is ongoing, and we will continue to provide updates as they become available.

For up to date information, please visit www.toronto.ca/coronavirus, www.ontario.ca/coronavirus or www.canada.ca/coronavirus.

Proper hand-washing process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=o9hjmqes72I&feature=emb_logo