What you need to know

• Victoria will enter a seven-day lockdown from 8pm Thursday 5 August
• Disability workers supporting people with disability by providing essential care are authorised workers
• Providers of disability residential services must implement PPE protocols and restrict visitors
• Any symptoms related to COVID must be tested immediately

 

Victoria will enter a seven-day lockdown from 8pm Thursday 5 August.

There are just five reasons to leave home:

• One person per household per day can shop for essentials, limited to 5km from home
• To exercise for two hours per day within 5km of home, with one other person
• For authorised work or permitted education.
• To provide care and caregiving
• To receive a vaccination

Disability support workers assisting people with disability by providing essential care are recognised as authorised workers.

Disability services restrictions

The following restrictions apply to disability settings as previously identified for Victoria’s last lockdown.

Community and non-residential service providers

Essential non-residential services including in-home support are permitted if the support cannot be provided online.

Residential service providers

Residential service providers must implement visitor restrictions:

• Visitors are allowed for permitted purposes only such as end-of-life care
• No more than two visitors per day excluding dependents of a visitor can be permitted if care cannot be arranged.

PPE requirements

Authorised disability support workers must wear a surgical mask that always covers the nose and mouth, indoors and outdoors.

All residential disability staff, contractors and volunteers must wear:

• Surgical face masks and eye protection (face shields are preferred) when supporting COVID-19 negative residents and correct hand hygiene must be maintained.
• P2/N95 respirator, eye protection (face shields are preferred), disposable gloves, disposable fluid-repellent gowns and maintain correct hand hygiene with low-high risk suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases during any activity.

In-home support workers should follow these same PPE requirements.

Monitoring and testing

Residential and in-home support providers should closely monitor emerging exposure sites and arrange for immediate testing as needed. Providers must implement organisational COVID-positive protocols while testing and isolation is carried out.

Requests for in-reach testing should be emailed to the DFFH COVID Readiness and Response team at and include the resident’s name, any symptoms, and relation to exposure sites. This in-box is monitored seven days a week between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm.

For after-hours requests call the 24hr Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

Reporting a confirmed case

Please notify the following authorities immediately:

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission by submitting the COVID-19 notification of event form
• WorkSafe Victoria within 48 hours of a confirmed case for any person who has been at the worksite, by submitting a Notifiable Incident Report
• The Health and Safety Representative at the workplace
• DFFH Transfer providers should continue to report through their existing channels