The WA Government has announced a lockdown for the Perth and the Peel regions that took effect today, at 12:01am for a minimum of four days.
A person must not enter, or remain on, the premises of a residential aged care facility in the affected area unless:
- the person is an officer, employee or contractor of the residential aged care facility
- the person’s presence at the premises is for the purposes of:
- providing goods or services that are necessary for the effective operation of the residential aged care facility
- providing health, medical, or pharmaceutical services to a resident of the residential aged care facility, whether the goods or services are provided for consideration or on a voluntary basis
- providing end of life support to a resident of the residential aged care facility
- emergency management, law enforcement or otherwise responding to an emergency.
For the full details of the restrictions and the full list of exceptions to visitor restrictions for RACFs please see the Visitors to Residential Aged Care Facilities (Outbreak Restrictions (Level 3)) Directions on the WA Health website.
NT Chief Health Officer – Amended direction
The NT CHO has issued an amended Direction, COVID-19 Directions (No. 15) 2021: Amendment to COVID-19 Directions (No. 11) 2021, signed by the CHO at 6:08pm on June 27.
These directions took effect upon signing. Part 5 of Directions No.11 is omitted. This means that workers are no longer prohibited from having another workplace.
Information can change rapidly so please check the NT Health website regularly for updates.
Qld Health Update
The Queensland Government has announced a three-day lockdown effective from 6pm tonight, Tuesday June 29, RACFs must restrict visitors from now until further advised in response to the immediate COVID-19 situation.
The Queensland COVID-19 Restricted Areas Direction (No.15) is now live which triggers a requirement under the Residential Aged Care Direction for restrictions on visitors in the following Local Government Areas:
- City of Brisbane
- City of Ipswich
- Logan City
- Moreton Bay Region
- Redland City
- Sunshine Coast
- Gold Coast City
- Noosa Shire
- Somerset Region
- Lockyer Valley Region
- Scenic Rim Region
- Townsville City
- Palm Island
- Magnetic Island
Please check the regularly Queensland Health website for the latest information.
SA Health – Visitor restrictions and IPC for RACFs
The SA Government has issued the Emergency Management (Residential Aged Care Facilities No 37) (COVID-19) Direction 2021. A summary of the amendments include:
- Limitation on Care and Support Visits: Visitors providing care and support to a resident (eg. family and friends) are limited to a maximum of two visitors per day in RACF where less than 70% of residents have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. This may be two visits of one person each time, or one visit or two people together. RACF with 70% or more of residents vaccinated against COVID-19 (with at least a first dose) are not impacted by these visitor restrictions.
- Vaccination Records for Residents: The operator of a RACF must, as far as is reasonably practicable, maintain a record of residents in the RACF who have received COVID-19 vaccinations. This must be made immediately available for inspection at the request of an authorised officer.
- Wearing of Masks: A person (other than a resident or a child under 12 years) must not enter or remain on the premises of a RACF, unless the person is wearing a face mask (covering mouth and nose) at all times when in the physical presence of other persons.
The requirement for a mask does not apply:
- when the person is eating or drinking;
- the wearing of a mask will hinder the provision of the relevant care and/or impact resident safety or wellbeing;
- by a person who has a relevant medical condition, including problems with their breathing, a serious condition of the face, a disability or a mental health condition; or
- in circumstances where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication, such as to enable communication by or with any person who is deaf or hard of hearing.
As per the communication from SA Health yesterday, the Chief Public Health Officer has directed all operators of a South Australian RACF to implement all provisions of their approved COVID-19 Infection Control Plan within 48 hours – by no later than 5pm, Wednesday, 30 June 2021.
Sourcing PPE: SA Health can provide surgical masks to RACF free of charge while the wearing of masks by all staff and visitors is a mandatory requirement in the RACF Emergency Management Direction. To obtain stock, please email: HealthPSCMSCOCustomerService@sa.gov.au.
Further information about COVID-19 and Aged Care is available on the SA Health website.
