RetireAustralia COVID-19 update: SA Further Easing of Restrictions

Published: 25 November 2020

The South Australian government is progressively easing COVID-19 restrictions.

This update provides an overview of what this means for our South Australian communities as we continue to focus on maintaining our villages as safe havens for our residents and keeping the virus out.

What does this mean for our SA villages?

From Wednesday 25 November:

Exercise:
- Residents can continue to exercise outdoors, including walking dogs.

Masks:
- While no longer mandatory, we still recommend that residents wear masks if they go out in public.
- Our employees are still required to wear masks in the community centre, in care apartments and within residents’ homes.
- We recommend that visitors wear masks when visiting the village.

Visitors:
- Villages with gated entry checkpoints will cease at 5pm on Wednesday 25 November.
- Care apartment visitors are required to enter via the main community centre entrance please. They will be asked to sign in, have their temperature checked and answer questions about their health status.
- Only two visitors at a time to care apartments please.
- No restrictions on visitors to independent living units.
- We recommend that children under 16 do not visit the village at this time.

Home Care:
- Personal care, medication, wellbeing and domestic support is being provided to RetireAustralia Home Care customers.

Refurbishments and sales appointments
- Refurbishments and sales appointments will recommence for independent living units and also for care apartments that can be accessed without entering the community centre.
- All contractors and prospective residents will be required to maintain social distancing and following strict infection control protocols.

All other restrictions remain in place for now
- Community centres remain closed and all sporting and social activities are on hold.
- Independent living residents who usually eat in the dining room will continue to have meals delivered to their unit.

Anticipated further easing of restrictions

We will continue to monitor the situation and assuming all is going well, restrictions will be eased further over the next two weeks. Our hope is that we can safely return to a state of ‘COVID-19 normal’ in all villages in South Australia before Christmas.

Anticipated from Monday 30 November

Activities within the community centre resume for Care Apartment residents only
- This is to help manage the risk of our more vulnerable care apartment residents getting the virus.

Home Care:
- We anticipate reinstating all services to RetireAustralia Home Care customers.

Anticipated from Monday 7 December

- Back to COVID-19 normal with some limitations
  - Community centres and village facilities reopen for all residents.
  - Sporting and social activities, and bus outings resume for all residents.
  - Independent living residents can enjoy meals in the dining room.
  - All sales appointments and refurbishments resume with COVIDSafe measures in place.