Guelph, Ontario – March 24, 2020 – As the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread across Canada, on Monday, March 23, 2020, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec ordered all “non-essential workplaces” to shut down by 11:59 on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.
Both provinces have issued detailed lists of designated “essential workplaces” which are exempt from these orders. These lists broadly include the veterinary, animal health and agricultural sectors, as well as the supply chains, research facilities and distribution channels supporting these sectors. All of CAHI’s full member companies fall within the scope of designated “essential workplaces”.
The lists of designated “essential workplaces” in Ontario and Quebec are available on the CAHI website at https://www.cahi-icsa.ca/essential.
The Ontario and Quebec governments are to be lauded for their recognition of the importance of the Canadian animal health sector in safeguarding not only the food supply, but also the broader health and wellbeing of Canadians, particularly during this unprecedented and very difficult period.
CAHI and its member companies continue to fully support all public health and government actions implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The health and safety of CAHI members, their staff, association staff and our stakeholders are of primary importance to us, and we are supportive of the social distancing measures that have been put in place by Canadian governments. As such, CAHI’s physical office will be closing as of March 24, 2020, until further notice. However, to ensure continued service delivery to our membership, CAHI staff will be working remotely, and will remain fully accessible by telephone and email. All CAHI member services will remain fully available.
About CAHI
As the not-for-profit trade association representing the developers, manufacturers and distributors of animal pharmaceuticals, biologics, feed additives, veterinary health products and animal pesticides in Canada, CAHI is the unified voice and information source for the animal health industry in Canada. CAHI is a national association, whose members are responsible for the sales of approximately 95% of the animal health product market in Canada. Sales by CAHI member companies in 2018 were approximately $860 million.
