coronavirus,

The increasing number of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities has prompted the announcement of new measures to reduce the risk of spread. Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced during a press conference on Sunday a joint federal and state government funding package to minimise the harm to some of Victoria’s most vulnerable people. This comes after a staff member from Ballarat aged care facility Bill Crawford Lodge was diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday. Ballarat Health Services confirmed the staff member had isolated since experiencing symptoms on Tuesday. The state government has announced visitation to aged care and health care settings will be restricted to those defined as carers only from July 22 with a limit of one hour per day. “We know this will be difficult for Victorian families, but ultimately this is about keeping the people we love safe,” Ms Mikakos said. Under the new funding package, the federal government will provide workforce funding to ensure staff, who regularly work across multiple facilities, work at only one aged care facility during COVID-19 times. “We know we have a transient workforce and in many cases a casualised workforce working across many facilities,” Ms Mikakos said. “We have had instances in recent days of staff working in multiple facilities and outbreaks in multiple facilities.” IN OTHER NEWS: It is understood the federal government workforce funding will ensure staff work at only one facility to reduce the risk of spread, but ensure those workers are not financially disadvantaged. The Victorian Government’s one-off $1500 worker support payment is still available to support Victorian workers, including those in aged care, who have been instructed to stay home because they’ve had a positive test or need to self-isolate as a close contact. Ms Mikakos said funding would also be targeted at providing more infection control training for aged care facilities and staff and to increase testing. Staff will be able to access free testing even if they do not have symptoms. “The Commonwealth will deploy five new testing teams to test staff but also residents in a residential aged care facilities across Melbourne and Mitchell Shire,” she said. “We believe these changes are going to be important to address the risk we are seeing with those significant numbers of outbreaks and staff and residents testing positive in recent days.” For more information on COVID-19, visit: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

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The increasing number of COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities has prompted the announcement of new measures to reduce the risk of spread.

Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced during a press conference on Sunday a joint federal and state government funding package to minimise the harm to some of Victoria’s most vulnerable people.

This comes after a staff member from Ballarat aged care facility Bill Crawford Lodge was diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday.

Ballarat Health Services confirmed the staff member had isolated since experiencing symptoms on Tuesday.

The state government has announced visitation to aged care and health care settings will be restricted to those defined as carers only from July 22 with a limit of one hour per day.

“We know this will be difficult for Victorian families, but ultimately this is about keeping the people we love safe,” Ms Mikakos said.

Under the new funding package, the federal government will provide workforce funding to ensure staff, who regularly work across multiple facilities, work at only one aged care facility during COVID-19 times.

“We know we have a transient workforce and in many cases a casualised workforce working across many facilities,” Ms Mikakos said.

“We have had instances in recent days of staff working in multiple facilities and outbreaks in multiple facilities.”

It is understood the federal government workforce funding will ensure staff work at only one facility to reduce the risk of spread, but ensure those workers are not financially disadvantaged.

The Victorian Government’s one-off $1500 worker support payment is still available to support Victorian workers, including those in aged care, who have been instructed to stay home because they’ve had a positive test or need to self-isolate as a close contact.

Ms Mikakos said funding would also be targeted at providing more infection control training for aged care facilities and staff and to increase testing.

Staff will be able to access free testing even if they do not have symptoms.

“The Commonwealth will deploy five new testing teams to test staff but also residents in a residential aged care facilities across Melbourne and Mitchell Shire,” she said.

“We believe these changes are going to be important to address the risk we are seeing with those significant numbers of outbreaks and staff and residents testing positive in recent days.”

• Anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms is urged to book a COVID-19 test via Lucas, online ufs.com.au/test or phone 4311 1571. Or, via the Ballarat Community Health-led clinic in central Ballarat, phone 1800 054 172.