Hi everyone,
Following my email at 3pm this afternoon, I wanted to provide you all with a further update.
The Incident Management team (IMT) met at 4pm this afternoon and has moved the network’s status to CoSTAT2B. The CALHN COVID-19 Plan Network Disaster Resilience Response Plan - Human Disease Annex provides more information about what each CoSTAT means.
The IMT will now meet twice a day while we monitor and respond to this evolving situation. We have also reconsidered some non-urgent elective surgery at both the RAH and TQEH and where possible, outpatients appointments will be moved to be delivered through telehealth. These changes will support the safety of our patients and staff and will help us to decompress our sites to ensure we have resources available and ready should we see an increase in COVID-19 cases.
As you may have seen the State Government announced a tightening of restrictions that will come into effect at midnight tonight. To view these restrictions click here.
Wearing masks
Today the Premier also advised community members to wear a mask in situations where it is not possible to physically distance, such as on public transport. Staff in our emergency departments - where physical distancing can be a challenge - will start to wear a surgical mask.
We strongly recommend that all staff practice physical distancing across all of our sites. If this is not possible, staff who would like to wear a surgical mask are welcome to do so. The PPE Matrix continues to provide advice on what PPE to wear in the management of any suspected, probable or confirmed case of COVID-19 that presents to a hospital.
Visitors directive updated
Effective immediately visitors are limited to one per patient, per day. As always, this visitor directive is flexible on compassionate grounds and should be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Signage will be updated shortly.
COVID-19 clinics
Today clinics across South Australia experience high demand following the announcement of the cluster with the TQEH and RAH clinics expected to test close to 500 people across the day.
If you need to be tested, please visit the SA Health website to find your closest clinic.
To help make those waiting more comfortable and to protect them from the weather, an expanded tent will be erected at the RAH clinic tomorrow morning.
Volunteers
To ensure the ongoing health and safety of our volunteers, we are asking a number of volunteers who are considered our vulnerable, to stay at home. I’d like to thank them for their understanding. We look forward to having you back onsite again, hopefully very soon.
To keep you up-to-date as this situation evolves and find vital information on our COVID-19 response, visit theCOVID-19 staff portal.
Thank you to everyone who has gone the extra mile today as we ready ourselves for what may come.
Kathryn Zeitz
CALHN COVID-19 Commander