Current COVID-19 Measures That We Are All Taking To Stay Safe
The pandemic brought about a lot of change, and we were all affected. Countries were implementing national lockdowns to reduce the number of cases of people infected with the Coronavirus. There were harsh restrictions in most countries, and the authorities would change or loosen rules whenever the situation required. Many businesses and companies shut for the most part and some moved to working remotely.
Among wearing masks, following social distancing protocols, and the changes taking place, many struggled to keep up with the changes taking place through the pandemic. Some industries could not move to remote working because they had to coordinate in person, and they were hard hit. They included hospitality, construction and tourism, which was the worst hit with changes to the travel norms, and visa application processes.
Countries were doing their best to assist in any way possible, but it was not working very well for most and companies were letting go of their employees. Some companies had to close entire divisions while others shut down altogether, which was quite disheartening.
We were fortunate that we were allowed to work throughout the pandemic. Business took a hit, but we were getting through processes, and there was a lot of backend coordination that we could handle.
If we had to predict the changes taking place over the next couple of months, we do not see much changing from the way it is today, but we hopeful now that there are multiple vacancies being made available in the foreseeable future. There would still be travel restrictions and quarantine plans needed to enter Canada. Additionally, there would be several COVID-19 measures in place, including maintaining physical distance from one another. The current rule about that is two meters apart. Masks are going to be mandatory in public places. Most of the locations we visit increased the use of hand sanitizers and their cleaning measures. Staying safe through regular use of hand sanitizer and not touching your face is a massive game-changer. Additionally, we see capacity limits on all public locations, and they cannot function at their full capacity. Most places like hotels, restaurants, and even office spaces have to limit the number of people entering to two people.
For the moment, there were a lot of changes taking place, and with the rules and restrictions, we continue to follow public health guidelines as a company. Other than remote working and having people follow specific protocols, clients needed COVID-19 test results and mandatory quarantine plans on arrival at the Canadian Border. They had to make sure they were COVID negative and had to have a recent test to prove it. These tests had about a 3-4 day validity, after which they would have to get another, more recent test. We have to work on custom plans per client, ensuring we account for everything that could matter to our client, providing them with assistance to enter Canada safely. Along with coordinating a visa, there were processes like identification and consultations, which had to be handled in person. These face-to-face meetings at the office were handled by appointment only, following all safety rules.
We did not make any changes to the hours we were working, but people had to coordinate meetings through appointments. We were not allowed to meet people or entertainment appointments if they did not schedule them because we already had plans made. However, if there were slots, we were open to accommodate them. Additionally, many clients did not want to meet us because they did not want to take a chance and could catch the virus. We used virtual platforms like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Whatsapp, among others, to communicate with our clients, so they were comfortable with having their inquiries met and matters resolved.
When we are working from an office, we are limited to appointments made with two people at a time. Furthermore, we have to make sure we are all physically distanced and two meters apart. Everyone had to wear a mask and have a physical barrier (plexiglass), not forgetting hand-sanitizers, and record of visit for contact tracking. We were not allowed to have people waiting in our lobbies, so we had to coordinate our meetings well so everyone would show up at the right time and did not have to wait. Additionally, we wanted to make sure that the people we were working with were safe. We increased the sanitization protocols that were already in place and spent more time cleaning high contact surface areas and adding sanitization stations throughout in place. Along with these are posters highlighting requirements for mask-wearing, physical distancing, and hand-washing.
We were using a secure system pre-pandemic, but with many people at home, we thought that we should increase the security and make sure everyone was safe. We increased the firewall protection software for clients to share and send confidential documents. We even had a version of Cybersecurity in place before COVID-19 but increased measures with more virtual interactions with clients presently. We are using security software like Mimecast and McAfee to making sure the information we are working with is safe.
If you are looking for an Immigration Consultant in Surrey, BC, look no further than Global Portal Immigration. We work on all types of applications, including Visitor Visas, Study Permits, Work Permits, Labor Market Impact Assessments (LMIA), Express Entry, Skilled Immigration, Caregivers, Family Class Sponsorships, and Refugee Cases. We serve clients in Canada and abroad and are open to coordinating any immigration processes that they might have. Immigration has been challenging through the pandemic, but we are working on making a complex process a little easier so we can assist anyone that needs a hand. If you are looking for a better understanding of the services that we provide, please click here. If you want to get in touch with us, please click here.