RetireAustralia Coronavirus update: 6 May 2020

Published: 6 May 2020

We wanted to update you on the COVID-19 health crisis, the current restrictions in place and what this means for our communities.

There have been over 6,800 confirmed cases in Australia and sadly 95 people have died. There are now under 1,000 active cases in Australia, and over the past week, daily infection rates have been low, especially in Queensland and South Australia.

To date there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of our villages and we are working hard to ensure it remains this way.

This shows that the initial measures and restrictions have been largely effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19 in Australia and keeping it out of our villages and your homes.

However, we still need to be vigilant. Tragically the vast majority of deaths (over 80 of the 95 recorded) due to COVID-19 are people aged 60 or older.

This underlines the fact that COVID-19 poses a critical threat to the health of older Australians. This is why we are taking all the necessary precautions in line with Government advice and why it is important to continue to comply with restrictions.

Government measures

There have been some adjustments to government restrictions in New South Wales and Queensland in the last few days. However, the measures that apply to older Australians and to retirement villages remain the same.

The advice for people over 70 and those with existing health conditions continues to be to self-isolate at home to the maximum extent practicable.

A number of you have been in touch to ask for clarification about the measures currently in place in our villages. So we want to clarify the situation.

Trips out of the village

We’d prefer that you continue to stay inside the village as much as possible, and continue to limit your trips to what is essential – grocery shopping, medical visits, pharmacy visits and for compassionate reasons. This is in line with government measures.

If you wish to travel outside the village of course you can, just let the team on your village checkpoint know. This is for contact tracing purposes should we get a COVID-19 case in a village.

Care apartment visits

Visit from family may take place with the following precautions:

Visiting hours, 10am – 3pm Monday to Friday, or by arrangement with the Village Manager.
Special Mother’s Day (10 May) visiting hours, 10am – 12 midday and 2pm – 4pm.
Visits to be a maximum of 30 minutes each and two visitors at a time please.
We know it is hard, but please maintain a safe distance of 1.5 metres from each-other, and avoid physical contact.
Visits from children under 16 remain on hold.
All visitors will be asked to sign-in, have their temperature checked and to sign a health declaration.

Independent living visits

We urge you to continue to comply with government measures:

Essential visits only – care; food, medication and essential supplies; and for compassionate reasons.
A maximum of two visitors at a time.
Additionally in NSW, if family are visiting a maximum of two adults and their dependent children can now visit at a time.
Maintain a safe distance of 1.5 metres from each other and avoid physical contact.
Visits to be conducted in your residence and not in community areas.

We also recommend that:

Visits are kept to a minimum to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. We suggest no more than 30 minutes at a time.
Children under 16 do not visit. If they do, they must not use any of the village common areas.

Community events and facilities

All community events and facilities including libraries, swimming pools, tennis courts, bowling greens and croquet lawns remain temporarily closed. This is in keeping with current government measures.

We know it is incredibly hard, but the principle is exactly the same – stay home as much as possible and save lives. This will break the chain of community transmission which remains a risk.

Help and support

Our aim is to continue to protect our villages and to maintain them as safe havens for you.

Our Village Teams are working hard to put on fun, connected and safe activities for you during this challenging time.

Please don’t forget that we are all in this together and your village team is just a phone call away if you need anything.

Independent living residents – if you would like a daily wellness check-in phone call, please let your Village Manager know.

Thank you

We have had a huge amount of support and positive feedback from you and we continue to be grateful for your superb cooperation, understanding and patience during these challenging times.

We know the restrictions are tough. They will be reviewed by the National Cabinet when they meet on Friday, 8 May. We will update you as soon as possible thereafter about any changes that affect our villages.

If you have any questions, please speak to your Village Manager or contact our COVID-19 Virtual Help team on 1800 325 046.

Please remember to let us know if there is anything the village team can do to help you.

We are all in this together.