Carol Altmann – The Terrier
Given Covid-19 is gaining a terrifying grip on aged care homes in Victoria, I sent an email this morning to Lyndoch Living to find out why masks are not yet compulsory for all staff and all visitors.
I also wanted to find out why two professionals from Melbourne were allowed into Lyndoch Living last week, for what appears to have been non-essential, non-medical purposes.
Lyndoch has a ban on visitors who are from or have been in Melbourne.
This is the email:
Dear Lyndoch Media Unit,I am hoping you can assist with the following questions:I have had a number of people contact me these past four days in regard to the mask-wearing policy for staff and visitors at Lyndoch Living and why masks are not mandatory.Can you outline why Lyndoch Living has not yet introduced a compulsory mask wearing policy for all staff given the Federal Government directive on 17 July that all aged care workers across Victoria would be required to do so?Is one of the issues that there are not enough masks available to provide to all staff?Also, concerns have been raised with me about two visitors to Lyndoch Living last week who were apparently from Melbourne and who stayed in the Waterfront Living complex.I understand these same people had access to Swinton Wing, while wearing hard hats, which suggests they were not visiting Lyndoch for medical or aged care service related purposes, but related to the construction works at Swinton Wing.Those who contacted me were understandably concerned that it appears people travelling from Melbourne were permitted into Lyndoch and Waterfront Living complex for non-essential purposes and in contravention of the current ban on Melbourne visitors.I am hoping you can clarify the situation to put these concerns to rest.Regards,Carol
I will let you know if I get a response.
In the meantime, as I write this, there are 764 active cases of Covid-19 in aged care homes across Victoria.
According to the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, just under one fifth of Victoria’s 430 aged care facilities had been affected by C19.
Given the increase in C19 cases in south-west Victoria, Cobden Health moved in to full lock down eight days ago.
Mercy Place, in Warrnambool, also moved into temporary lockdown this week until at least tomorrow, with no new visitors other than those who already have visitation plans in place.
Moyne Health, Gillin Park, and Opal aged care have made it compulsory for staff to wear masks.
As Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says in his media release from 17 July above, the government has made another two million masks available to aged care and the disability sector.
The last Covid-19 update on the Lyndoch Living website was that same date, 17 July: 11 days ago.
As I said above, I will let you know if I get a response.