Jul 31, 2020

NSW strengthens visitor and PPE guidance as COVID-19 risk escalates

Given the current risk of COVID-19 now in the community, NSW Health has extended requirements for face masks and visitation restrictions across new local government areas.

The state’s Chief Health Officer has added the local government areas of Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick and the eastern part of City of Sydney to the list of regions required to implement the following measures:

  • Any visitors to any residential aged care facility who have been in the following local government areas in the previous 14 days should be excluded from the facility: Waverley, Woollahra, Randwick, eastern part of City of Sydney, Parramatta, Fairfield, Liverpool, Campbelltown, Camden, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly.
  • All aged care staff who reside in the above local government areas or a NSW/VIC border community must wear a surgical mask while in the facility.
  • Staff and visitors who have visited any of the locations on the same date as a COVID-19 case (see updated list of venues and dates) should be excluded for a period of 14 days since their visit to the listed location.
  • All residential aged care staff who work in residential aged care facilities located within the above LGAs and in communities along the NSW/VIC border must wear a surgical mask while in the facility.
  • Residential aged care facilities in the above local government areas should not allow any visitors (visitors performing essential caring functions may be allowed but must wear a mask). In exceptional circumstances, seek advice from your local NSW Health public health unit on 1300 066 055.

The extension of these local government area restrictions will be in place until further notice.

Home Care Service providers who either live or work in any of these designated local government areas must also wear face masks while providing services.

Read the NSW Chief Health Officer’s letters to home care providers and residential providers.

This information was provided by the Department of Health.

Image: RyanJLane, iStock.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

3,400 healthcare workers contracted COVID-19 after PPE failures

  Shortages of protective equipment and a lack of fitting masks were behind the COVID-19 infections of thousands of Victorian healthcare workers, experts have said. “Multiple failures” in the planning of PPE for healthcare workers have contributed to the infections, and there is still some way to go until the situation is fixed,” Physician Dr... Read More

“Political decision, not a health decision”: Nursing union’s concern over mandating vaccinations

Australia’s nursing union has accused the federal government of putting politics before health after mandating jabs for aged care workers, and has written to the Prime Minister demanding answers to more than a dozen questions. Read More

The elderly vs. aged care workers: Who will get the Coronavirus Vaccine first?

Residents of aged care facilities will begin being vaccinated next week with the Pfizer vaccine, while aged care workers will begin to be vaccinated in March when supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine become available. Thousands of residents at more than 240 aged care homes will receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine next week, across 190 towns and suburbs in rural and urban areas in every state and territory across the country. Read More
Advertisement