Published: 7 August 2020
The significant spike in COVID-19 cases in Victoria, clusters in New South Wales and new cases in South Australia and Queensland are, understandably, a cause for concern amongst many of our residents and their families.
We want to reassure you that RetireAustralia’s number one priority continues to be to protect our residents and team members from COVID-19.
We have a whole range of preventative measures in place in our villages and we have an emergency response plan which we will activate if we get a confirmed case of the virus.
In recent weeks, the ever-evolving situation with COVID-19 has required the implementation of restrictions and more stringent infection control protocols at Murray Gardens Retirement Village in Albury, on the border with Victoria. Checkpoints have also been re-introduced and community centres temporarily closed at Wellington Manor, Cleveland Manor and Noyea Riverside in Brisbane in response to potential community transmission.
We continue to monitor the situation closely for new cases and clusters which may put one or more of our villages at risk. We have the protocols in place to respond swiftly with precautionary measures if needed.
We are also introducing some changes to improve our practices and ensure we keep abreast of the latest advice about COVID-19.
These include:
- Making signing in for care apartment visitors contactless. Our staff will sign visitors in and ask them a short questionnaire about their health status.
- In some circumstances where social distancing is difficult to maintain or in areas where there is community transmission, you may see our staff wearing masks as a precautionary measure.
We are acutely aware that the best systems, process and planning in the world do not eliminate all risk of this highly infectious virus getting into a village.
We also know that the success we’ve had so far in making our villages a safe haven has hinged on individuals doing the right thing.
That includes team members letting us know of any risk factors outside of work, residents staying home as much as possible, family members and visitors supporting the protocols and restrictions we have in place, and everyone self-isolating and getting tested if they have symptoms.
It’s a team effort, so we want to thank you for the part you are playing by making good choices to keep yourself and our communities safe.
Thank you so much for your cooperation and support.
Useful links
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Alert: www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert
The National Coronavirus Health Information Line 1800 020 080
www.health.nsw.gov.au
Qld Dept. of Health 13 432 584
www.health.qld.gov.au
SA Dept. of Health 1300 232 272
www.sahealth.sa.gov.au