Updated NSW Health Advice – Updated 6 November 2021
Dear Family Members and Contacts of Residents at Peninsula Villages,
As COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease across the state, we are pleased to see further changes occurring for residential aged care facilities. Over the weekend, NSW Health updated its advice to allow “2 fully vaccinated people aged 12 years and over plus 2 children aged under 12 to visit a resident in a 24-hour period”. We are looking forward to welcoming more visitors to our facilities from 1 November 2021 and will be following the below directions from NSW Health to ensure all our residents are kept safe.
Directions for visitors to Peninsula Villages
Residents are permitted to have two fully vaccinated visitors aged 12 years and over, plus two children aged under 12 years per day.
- Visitors aged 12 years and over must have received a second dose of a COVID vaccination at least 14 days prior to their visit.
- Children under 12 years are permitted to visit provided they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated person
- Where visits include a child under 12 it is strongly recommended, where possible:
– the visit is in an outdoor area
– the child should wear a mask
– arrange Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) prior to a visit
- Visits should not be in any inside communal areas.
- All visitors must wear a surgical mask while visiting indoors. For reasons when masks can be removed please see the NSW Health website: Additional Advice – Mandatory mask wearing.
- People who are providing a service to the resident including a health service or professional or other service are not included as part of the visitor limitations.
The Minister has signed an exemption to the Public Health (COVID-19 Care Services) Order 2021 to allow more than 2 visitors per day for the purposes of visiting a resident who is at the end of life.
- The exemption is subject to the condition that the operator of the facility takes reasonable steps to ensure:
– no more than 4 people (including children) visit at any one time
– all visitors 12 years and over wear a mask while in an indoor area, unless the visitor is interacting with the resident they are visiting
– there is minimal interaction between the visitors and the staff and other residents
- The visitors in this circumstance do not need to be vaccinated, however appropriate care must be taken if unvaccinated visitors are entering the facility. It is strongly recommended:
– the visit is solely inside the resident’s room and
– where possible, the visitors have Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) just before the visit.
Visitors must not enter Peninsula Villages at all if they:
- have COVID-19 symptoms
- are a close or casual contact of a person with confirmed COVID-19, unless they have completed their isolation and testing requirements.
- are waiting for a COVID-19 test result.
- have been overseas in the past 14 days, unless they are:
– fully vaccinated and have received a negative test 7 days or later after arrival in NSW
– a fully vaccinated international flight crew member and have a negative PCR test within 24 hours of arrival in NSW or a negative RAT taken on the same day prior to entry.
Directions for Residents of Peninsula Villages
In addition to the above visitation guidelines, from 1 November 2021, residents are permitted to leave Peninsula Villages and attend family gatherings or for other reasons but must abide by the current Public Health (COVID-19 General) Order 2021.
We will provide any residents leaving our facility with appropriate personal protective equipment and infection control advice. If a resident cannot wear a face mask because of a disability, physical or mental health illness or condition, they must carry either:
- a medical certificate or letter signed by a registered health practitioner (such as a doctor) or a registered NDIS provider or
- a statutory declaration.
Please read Additional Advice – Residents attending family gatherings or excursions.
For further information, please visit the following NSW Health website for regular updates:
https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/racf-latest-advice.aspx
The advice from NSW Health is constantly being updated so we encourage you to regularly check for updated information.
Once again, the safety & well-being of our residents and staff is our number one priority and your compliance with these requirements will greatly assist us in maintaining a safe environment for all. The engagement and willingness of families and residents to comply with recent changes has been overwhelmingly positive and I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and cooperation during these difficult times.
I would again like to remind everyone that the Australian Aged Care Quality & Safety Commission have produced several useful resources outlining what families and residents can expect during a COVID-19 outbreak. You can access this information here:
If you have concerns regarding any aspect of our policy regarding these restrictions, please contact our team. We will do our best to ensure that you stay connected with your loved ones.