COVID-19: Information for the public

As the regulatory College for Ontario’s naturopaths, we are working to protect the public and provide support and guidance to the profession as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. This page includes information for the public and naturopathic patients. We will provide updates as needed. We also offer links below to accurate and current information provided by the Ontario government, Public Health and the Government of Canada.

Updated Directive #2 from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health

On May 26, 2020, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health updated Directive #2 to allow for the gradual restart of deferred and non-essential services by regulated health professionals, including naturopaths. Health care providers must comply with requirements set out in the document COVID-19 Operational Requirements: Health Sector Restart.

It is essential that naturopaths and other health care providers adhere to the Ministry of Health’s requirements, including the usage of PPE, screening protocols, risk assessments, hazard controls and more. The goal is to ensure patient and practitioner safety while reducing the opportunity for community transmission of COVID-19.

Public Notice: Claims about COVID-19

The College has become aware that some Registrants are promoting treatment or supplements as a means to boost the immune system and may imply that this will prevent infection from COVID-19.

Any statements by naturopaths about the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19—beyond the information made available by public health authorities—are inappropriate, potentially harmful, and likely to violate the College’s Standard of Practice for Advertising. When brought to the attention of the College, such statements will be forwarded to the Inquiries, Complaints & Reports Committee for investigation.

The College’s Standard of Practice for Advertising prohibits marketing and/or advertising that is false, inaccurate, reasonably capable of misleading the public, unverifiable, or contrary to the public interest in the practice of the profession.

Read the latest blog post from our Manager of Professional Practice on Naturopaths Providing immune support to patients during COVID-19.

Media Statement

The statement below has been provided to interested media who have asked about Amandha Vollmer’s registration status with the College. Note that our Public Register enables anyone to search for individuals who are registered and thereby authorised to practise as naturopaths in Ontario.

Individuals who are pretending to be a naturopath or naturopathic doctors are called unregulated or unauthorized practitioners, and are practicing illegally. The College investigates each one of these cases that come to its attention, and posts the names of these individuals on the Unauthorized Practitioners Register.

Resources & Information

  • The Ontario Ministry of Health website gives daily updates on the status of cases in Ontario and offers advice and guidance for the public.
  • Public Health Ontario has a resource page that includes information about how to self-isolate and self-monitor.
  • The Government of Canada provides daily updates on the status of COVID-19 nationally, with information on the situation across the country, as well as updates on the federal government’s response.

​​Contact the College

If you have questions, concerns or need for information please e-mail us at general@collegeofnaturopaths.on.ca.