Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (via Directive #2) has permitted Massage Therapists (RMTs) to gradually restart Massage Therapy services.

All current COVID-19 guidance from the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) is available on CMTO’s COVID-19 webpage and is important to ensuring clients and RMTs are protected in the COVID-19 pandemic.

CMTO is receiving many questions about returning to practice, and what a new normal will look like. We are updating the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section of the COVID-19 webpage regularly with answers to the questions we receive most often, including:

When can I open my practice?

RMTs can resume practicing immediately, as long as they are able to meet the requirements (e.g. enhanced disinfecting, personal protective equipment, modifications to the practice setting, screening, training, scheduling considerations) of CMTO and the Ministry of Health.

What must I do to reopen my practice?

RMTs should review CMTO’s COVID-19 Pandemic – Practice Guidance for Massage Therapists and ensure they can meet the requirements.

RMTs are also responsible for following the direction of:

• Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH),
• Ontario Ministry of Health (MOH)’s guidance for the health sector,
• MOH’s COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart, and,
• Sector-specific workplace safety guidelines.

RMTs should not return to practice if they cannot meet the requirements set out in these documents.

Even if an RMT is able to meet these requirements, CMTO is not expecting RMTs to return to practice if they do not feel it is appropriate or safe to do so. CMTO cannot comment on the impact of these individual decisions, including how they may impact eligibility for Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other government financial benefits.

Can I treat all clients? CMTO’s guidance said to prioritize clients with essential care needs.

Prioritize means treating clients with more serious needs first. All clients can be treated at this time, however, RMTs must always use their professional judgement to ensure the anticipated benefit of treatment outweighs the risk (including the risk of COVID-19).

Can I treat a client who cannot tolerate wearing a mask?

If the client cannot wear a mask (e.g. due to a health condition or difficulty breathing), the RMT must use their professional judgement to assess the risk of providing or continuing treatment.

What personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection prevention and control training do I need to complete?

Before returning to practice, RMTs must complete the training listed below (at a minimum). This training will help RMTs improve their knowledge about infection prevention and control. The goal is to decrease the risk of transmission of infection in your practice setting.

All training resources are free and available online. The IPAC modules are each approximately 10-20 minutes in length.

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Core Competencies modules:
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Additional Precautions
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Administrative Controls
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Chain of Transmission and Risk Assessment
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Control of the Environment
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Health Care Provider Controls
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Occupational Health and Safety
  • IPAC Core Competencies: Personal Risk Assessment (select all modules appropriate to your practice setting)
• Hand Hygiene E-Learning Tool
• Public Health Ontario’s instructional videos.
  • Hand Hygiene
  • PPE – Gown and Gloves
  • PPE – Facial Protection

Please check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section of CMTO’s COVID-19 webpage for additional information as the pandemic evolves.

If you have any questions, please contact CMTO’s Practice Specialist at practicespecialist@cmto.com or by phone at (416) 489-2626/1-800-465-1933 extension 4124.