ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman has issued an updated alert on August 12 regarding the COVID-19 situation.
Updated advice for high-risk settings
ACT is entering a seven-day lockdown from 5pm on August 12. During this time, all visitors must be excluded from residential aged care facilities (RACFs) unless attending for the following reasons:
- Compassionate reasons
- End of life reasons
- For the purposes of performing essential work on or at the premises, that cannot be performed from the person’s residence
Workers undertaking work that is not essential work are not permitted to enter or remain at the premises.
RACFs should continue to require all staff and visitors to complete entry screening questions.
Please update the screening tool for your facility.
Update to outings advice for all high-risk settings
Residents from high-risk settings should only leave the premises for essential reasons, similar to the ACT community.
Facilities must ensure that residents are provided with a mask (if appropriate) and advice about hand hygiene, physical distancing and advice on using the Check In CBR app if they need to leave the facility for essential purposes.
Face masks must be carried at all times and worn by everyone aged over 12 years outside the home.
Geographical areas of risk added: All of NSW except if you live in the surrounding NSW region (see postcodes) and you are entering the ACT for essential work or to access essential healthcare. If this applies, you will not need an exemption, as you are covered by a standing exemption issued by ACT Health.
Read the latest ACT COVID-19 updates for additional information for home-based care providers, during the period of the ACT lockdown, essential health care services must take reasonable steps to provide services via telehealth or other virtual care options where possible and clinically appropriate to do so.
The COVID-19 situation can change rapidly and as such, advice for high-risk settings is subject to change regularly. ACT Health will continue to keep you updated through these Chief Health Officer alerts.
