A reminder again how quickly things can develop during this pandemic. To keep our members informed, SIV has provided a summary of state and Federal support available to industry with links to key information. Please appreciate that this is a rapidly evolving situation so the information contained is based on what is current and will be updated as more information is released.
COVID-19 Update The Victorian Government has announced a number of changes to further protect our highest-risk health care and hospitality settings – and key workforces – from the risk of outbreaks and super-spreader events.
Under new pandemic orders coming into place at 11:59pm Wednesday 12 January 2022:
Vaccination Requirements in Key Sectors Workers in key sectors who are already required to be fully vaccinated must get their third dose before being permitted to work onsite. This applies to workers in:
healthcare
aged care
disability services
emergency services
correctional facilities
quarantine accommodation
food distribution
abattoir and meat or seafood processing workers
Workplaces must sight and record proof of vaccination.
Booster Update The COVID-19 third dose helps to prevent waning immunity (loss of protection) against COVID-19. Third doses are important to give individuals maximum protection against COVID-19 and to help reduce the spread of the virus.
Changes to the Booster Interval to 3 months for people over 18 years old In yesterday’s Press Conference, Premier Dan Andrews has announced a reduced timeframe to three months for people over the age of 18 years old. There will be a walk-up vaccination blitz “Booster Blitz” starting this Friday 21 January – 24 January 2022 at most major hubs. There will be additional workforce, vaccinators and cubical for vaccination.
The following vaccination hubs will be partaking in the vaccination blitz, please refer to the operating hours:
Royal Exhibition Building (walk-up access available 8:00am to 8:00pm daily)
Latrobe University Bundoora (walk-up 8:00am to 8:00pm)
Sandown Racecourse (walk-up 9:00am to 6:30pm Saturday and Sunday)
Dandenong Plaza (walk-up 9:00am to 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday)
Frankston’s Bayside Centre (walk-up 9:30am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday)
Sunshine Hospital (walk-up 8:00am to 8:00pm)
Bendigo Vaccination Hub (walk-up 9:00am to 8:00pm)
Ballarat Mercure (walk-up 8:30am to 3:00pm Sunday)
All sites except Dandenong Plaza and Ballarat Mercure will offer both Pfizer and Moderna doses
Workers eligible for a third dose on or before Wednesday 12 January 2022 will have until Saturday 12 February 2022 to get their third dose.
Workers not yet eligible for a third dose will be required to get it within three months and two weeks of the deadline to receiving their second mandatory dose.
This means:
disability, quarantine accommodation, correctional facilities, emergency services, and food distribution, abattoir and meat or seafood processing workers will need to receive their third dose by 12 March
Food distribution includes manufacturing, warehousing and transport (freight/port) workers involved in food distribution. Retail supermarket staff are not included in the mandate.
Most people who have tested positive to COVID-19 can get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are feeling better (able to return to normal activities) after they have completed 7 days of isolation. There is no need to provide a negative test or blood test before vaccination.
People with long COVID symptomscan still get vaccinated and can discuss this with their doctor if they have any questions.
An COVID-19 infection will provide some natural immunity but it will decrease over time. Vaccination is important to get maximum protection against further COVID-19 infection.
Unless you have been hospitalised for COVID-19, there is no recommended minimum interval between infection and vaccination, and no need to delay your vaccination once you have recovered.
If you were hospitalised for COVID-19, talk to your doctor first. If you received specialised treatments (monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma), a 90-day interval is required before getting a COVID-19 vaccination.
Food manufacturing, distribution and packaging exemption To ensure Victorians can continue to access essential food supplies, workers in the manufacturing, distribution or packaging of food and beverages, including retail supermarket workers, may be exempted from close contact isolation requirements in order to attend work from 11.59pm Wednesday 12 January 2022, if it is necessary for continuity of operations and other options have been exhausted. To mitigate risks, exempted workers must be asymptomatic, undertake daily rapid antigen tests for five days and return a negative result prior to attending work. They can’t enter shared break areas, and employers are asked to facilitate solo break time. In addition, face coverings must be worn, using N95/P2 respirators if possible. Both the worker and workplace must consent to the worker’s return. This new close contact isolation exemption for asymptomatic food distribution workers is similar to the arrangements already in place for critical healthcare workers.
All Victorians continue to be encouraged to get their third dose as soon as they become eligible. Bookings can be made www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine. Information on updated COVIDSafe settings and third dose vaccination requirements will be published at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au when the orders come into effect at 11:59pm Wednesday 12 January 2022.
Worksafe COVID-19 Reporting Rules From 14 January 2022, employers and self-employed persons are no longer required to notify WorkSafe if they become aware on or after that date of a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis attending the workplace, even if the attendance was before that date. If, before 14 January 2022, they became aware of a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis attending the workplace, please notify WorkSafe by contacting WorkSafe Advisory.
Workplaces must continue to adhere to Department of Health COVID-19 notification requirements, which require notice if five positive cases have attended the work premises within seven days.
Employers and self-employed persons must also continue to notify WorkSafe immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident has occurred.
Changes to COVID-19 testing systems The Victorian Government has announced steps to reduce testing queues and transmission in Victoria, under new pandemic orders taking effect from 11:59pm Thursday 6 January 2022. Density quotients and working and studying from home To reduce the risk of super-spreader events in these settings, a density quotient of one person per two square metres will be required indoors at:
hospitality venues, including restaurants, cafés, pubs and nightclubs
entertainment venues, including arcades and amusement parks, casinos and gaming venues.
It is also recommended that entertainment and hospitality venues and their patrons opt for seated service only and avoid indoor dancefloors. The strong recommendation to work from home and study from home for adult education if you can, will remain in place until Australia Day and will continue to be assessed. Changes to the COVID-19 testing system
People who test positive on a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will be considered probable cases and be subject to the same requirements as confirmed cases from a PCR test. They must isolate for seven days and notify their contacts.
It will be mandatory for individuals to report the result of a positive RAT to the Department of Health through an online form or by phone – ensuring people can access the care and information they need, including monitoring for worsening symptoms and financial support for isolation.
Until RATs are in increased supply, Victorians who have symptoms, or asymptomatic household contacts required to use RATs, can still get a PCR test if they can’t access any RATs.
This change means PCR testing can increasingly be reserved for confirmation of clinical diagnoses in vulnerable settings and critical workforce testing.
Free RATs have been successfully distributed at four of the state’s largest testing centres – while Victoria awaits the arrival of the first significant delivery of the 44 million ordered tests.
The online and phone system for reporting a positive RAT will go live on 7 January and probable cases will be reported alongside confirmed cases in Victoria’s daily numbers. More information on how Victorians can report their RAT result will be on the coronavirus website coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Improving indoorair quality can reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace. Strategies available to business include: If you have natural ventilation available:
Open windows and leave doors open in hallways and corridors to increase outdoor airflow into the space.
Place a fan away from openable windows or door to increase air circulation within a space.
If you have mechanical ventilation available:
Maximise the amount of air being provided into the space by disabling any control systems that vary the amount of fresh air based on occupancy.
Change the settings to increase the proportion of outdoor air.
Install a higher-grade filter within the air handling unit.
The following COVIDSafe Settings continue to apply to keep our community and workplaces safe:
masks to be worn indoors (except in the home) for people aged eight and over.
check in everywhere, every time
review and update your COVIDSafe Plan regularly to make sure you comply with current requirements, and always keep a copy onsite
notify the Department of Health and WorkSafe if you have a confirmed case in the workplace.
Pandemic Orders The Victorian Government has announced COVID-19 restrictions are being updated to ensure Victorians enjoy more freedoms this festive season, while the Omicron variant is monitored and investigated. After consideration of advice from the Chief Health Officer, the Minister for Health Martin Foley will today sign pandemic orders under the new Public Health and Wellbeing Act.
The pandemic orders, which will take effect from 11.59pm tonight, Wednesday 15 December and will be in place until 11.59pm on 12 January 2022, update the current COVIDSafe Settings. This will include:
The mandatory vaccination requirement will be removed for all customers in retail, except hair and beauty services, and will also be removed in real estate, places of worship, weddings and funerals. Face masks will be still required for customers and workers in retail settings
Restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs are still only open to fully vaccinated patrons and staff. Workers are required to wear face masks
People under 18 will no longer be required to show proof of their vaccination status at all venues, including hospitality
Face masks no longer need to be worn at weddings, funerals or ceremonial settings. If these events are held at places of worship, there will not be any vaccination requirements or limits on participants, nor any requirement to check vaccination status. If the ceremony is at a hospitality setting, vaccine requirements will apply
Workplaces exposed to a positive COVID-19 case will no longer need to be deep cleaned
Tour and transport operators, gyms and creative arts premises, such as theatres and cinemas, will not need to clean equipment between users
All Victorians who are eligible for a booster are urged to book an appointment as soon as possible. COVID-19 booster doses are recommended for anyone aged 18 and over who had their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine five or more months ago. You can get a COVID-19 booster dose from a GP or pharmacy, or a Victorian vaccinationcentre. For more information, including advice for workplaces with a confirmed COVID-19 case, please go to coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Vaccine Requirements for Industry and Workers Information for industry and workers required to be vaccinated. Select workers will be required to show evidence of their vaccination to their employer by a certain date in order to continue working outside their home.
Employee Obligations: From 22 October 2021, to work onsite at a work premises, workers must be able to provide evidence to their employer that they have either:
received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, or
have a booking to receive a first dose by 22 October 2021, or
have a medical exemption from an authorised medical practitioner.
From 26 November 2021, to attend work, workers will also be required to provide evidence to their employer that they have received a second dose - unless they have a medical exemption. The new Directions apply to employers of select workers, including contractors, volunteers and students on placement. A full list of workers can be found here.
Employer obligations:
Employers need to sight a certificate of immunisation, or an immunisation history statement obtained from the Australian Immunisation Register (electronic evidence can be accessed through myGov/Medicare and the Service Victoria app) and record a worker’s name, vaccination status, details of the individual who checked evidence of compliance, the date the evidence was recorded, and the nature of the evidence.
If the worker is partially vaccinated, employers must record and hold appointment booking information that the worker is to receive second dose by 26 November 2021.
If the worker is unvaccinated by the due dates or refuses to show evidence, the employer must treat them as unvaccinated. An employer must not permit an unvaccinated worker to work outside their home unless they have certification from a medical practitioner.
An Authorised Officer may request an employer to produce workforce vaccination-related information.
What information should be recorded by employers? A record should include:
the name of the worker or individual accessing the site
their vaccination status
their vaccine appointment booking (if relevant)
who sighted the evidence
the date the evidence was sighted
the nature of that evidence (for example, COVID-19 vaccine digital certificate, immunisation history statement, or medical exception letter or certificate)
Important information for businesses Every business has an important role to play. It’s critical for businesses and industry to continue to be COVIDSafe and comply with restrictions. COVID and Workplaces
Support your workers to get vaccinated – it is our way out of this pandemic. To book an appointment visitcoronavirus.vic.gov.au or call the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.
It is critical that businesses with onsite operations continue to comply with PPE, QR Codes, cleaning, signage, record keeping and other COVIDSafe requirements.
Financial and other support for COVID-19 There are a variety of financial support packages for people and businesses impacted by COVID-19 including financial, job and business support.
Stay COVIDSafe Wear your mask correctly – covering your mouth and nose Get tested immediately if you are ill When open, make sure everyone checks in everywhere, every time Update your COVIDSafe Plan Support your workers to get vaccinated when they’re eligible.