Audience: All healthcare staff.
This bulletin was sent to CALHN distribution lists for:
- Manager Clinical Program Delivery
- Nursing Leads
- Medical Leads
- Allied Health Leads
- Nursing Clinical Practice Director
- Nurse Managers
- Heads of Unit
- Executive
- Statewide Clinical Command representatives
Please cascade the information in this bulletin to the appropriate people within your teams.
Purpose
This bulletin provides immediate advice on:
- cross border travel registration
- service resumption
- essential travellers – visitation to a CALHN site within a 14-day quarantine period.
Action
All leads, nurse unit managers and heads of unit are to ensure their staff are aware of the below and follow this advice.
Cross border travel registration
The State Government has updated the cross border travel procedure.
A pre-approval process is now in place for travellers wishing to enter South Australia.
Anyone planning travel to SA should complete the Cross Border Travel Registration at least three days prior to entering SA, however an interim exemption may be granted at the border for urgent cross border travel, while formal follow up occurs.
Travellers will need to provide details in the short description of why they are travelling, if they are an essential worker, transport or entering for compassionate grounds.
The registration will determine whether travellers:
- are able to enter without restriction when travelling from VIC, NSW and ACT
- are an essential worker
- are required to self-quarantine on arrival for 14 days.
Restricted exemptions may be issued for the purpose of compassionate grounds or attending healthcare sites for urgent medical and health treatment.
More information on the latest travel restrictions is available here.
Service resumption
All service resumptions are now managed within the programs by the Program Delivery Managers, as endorsed in the Tuesday night Gate Review.
Essential travellers – visitation to a CALHN site within a 14-day quarantine period
Clinical leads for the IPU/Ward/OPD/Clinical area are responsible for managing the essential interstate visitor when presenting to a CALHN site. This advice remains, as per the Command Bulletin on 25 June 2020.
Primary site screening points may assist in the capture of these visitors prior to presentation in a patient environment, however local leads remain responsible for and enforcing implementation of the below precautions.
All essential travellers are subject to the following precautions when on site:
- Contact and droplet personal protective equipment applied prior to entering the hospital
- A L2 surgical mask should be worn to and from the hospital and during visitation
- The visitor must be instructed and observed to comply with hand hygiene, safe donning, wearing (no touch or removal of mask) and doffing procedures, and to avoid touching of surfaces
- Visits should only occur by prior arrangement and attend at a scheduled visit time at the hospital
- Length of visit and ability to re-attend visits will be at the discretion of the clinical team
- Visitors should be escorted by a staff member upon entering and leaving the patient’s environment
- It is preferred that where possible visits take place in a dedicated space, with dedicated entry and exit points
- Visitors should not leave the room where the visit takes place during the planned visitation time
CALHN COVID-19 Command Team