Following the welcome end to Victoria’s five-day ‘Circuit Breaker’ lockdown last night, I’m pleased to let you know that many of Western Health’s restrictions are also being eased from today, in line with Department of Health guidelines.
To summarise, all of our sites have today returned to the level of restrictions that were in place before the lockdown was imposed on Saturday, in response to the Holiday Inn outbreak. However there are two important changes that remain:
- Masks must be worn at all times when indoors and outdoors when you cant maintain physical distance
- Visitor restrictions have been eased, but still remain:
- Two visitors from one household, per patient, for a maximum of two hours
- Visiting hours 12pm-8pm
- Two parents/guardians can visit paediatric patients for unlimited time
- As always, Western Health continues to support exceptions for care, compassion and support reason and restrictions don’t apply in these circumstances.
The following outlines all other restrictions, which have been re-applied across Western Health after the five-day lockdown. As has been the case throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these restrictions are carefully considered by our COVID leadership team and are an important part of our strategy for keeping our staff, patients and visitors safe.
PPE USE
- Tier 1 PPE:
- Routine care of COVID negative patients. Eye protection no longer required when treating COVID Negative patients/residents. Surgical masks to be worn at all times indoors.
- Tier 2 PPE:
– All exposure/care/contact with low risk SCOVIDs excluding patients where:
◦ There is a risk of aerosol generating behaviours
◦ An aerosol generating procedure needs to be performed
- Tier 3 PPE:
- All exposure/care/contact with high-risk suspected and confirmed COVID case and confirmed COVIDs providing care for low-risk suspected COVID patients where:
◦ There is a risk of aerosol generating behaviours
◦ An aerosol generating procedure needs to be performed
– Patients with or without symptoms consistent with COVID-19, who also meet the current epidemiological risk factors:
◦ primary or secondary close contacts of a COVID-19 case
◦ worked in or volunteered at a hotel quarantine site and/or other port of entry (airport) in the last 14 days
◦ been released from hotel quarantine in the last 14 days
◦ have visited listed exposure sites in Victoria
ELECTIVE SURGERY
All categories of elective surgery can be undertaken
STUDENT CLINICAL PLACEMENTS
All student clinical placements are once again permitted in all clinical areas. All students should be restricted from moving between campuses/facilities during each individual placement.
MASKS
Masks remain mandatory indoors, for all staff and at all sites, unless you are in a room with a closed door, or eating or drinking.
CAFES
Cafes have been reopened to the public for seating.
PRAYER ROOMS
Prayer rooms have been reopened to staff.
GYM ACCESS
The EFM gyms have re-opened to staff.
Thanks for taking the time to read today’s bulletin and keeping yourselves informed. I’ll keep you updated as we continually revise our ongoing COVID response.
Regards
Natasha