Health boss cautious on virus timeline

CEO of Ballarat Health Service Dale Fraser has outlined how his organisation will be marking milestones on the road map to the state’s “COVID-normal” footing.

Speaking to reporters on Monday via video link, Mr Fraser addressed a range of issues such as access to BHS sites including aged care and the service’s ongoing role in tackling the virus.

He also gave a warning about complacency around COVID-19.

“The Premier released a road map to COVID-normal and it does highlight a very long tail,” he said.

“That’s the nature of this virus. Until a vaccine is discovered… we’re going to have to have a heightened sense of awareness and preparedness for its ongoing management.

“This virus kills, and kills the most vulnerable in our community. We as a community member have a responsibly to not only ensure the care of ourselves is managed, but we do provide care for others as well.”

As for what’s coming up for BHS in regards to managing COVID-19, not a much will change in the short term.

“A lot of what we’ve been doing for the last few months will continue,” Mr Fraser said.

“You can well imagine it’ll continue with things like visitor restrictions… extensive use of personal protective equipment… increased surveillance and testing within our community.

As for what that access for families and visitors might look like to BHS’ aged care facilities, Mr Fraser said the issue was constantly under review and the 400 or so seniors in the service’s care were the number one priority.

“We’ll keep looking at the visitor restrictions to ensure we maintain a balance between what is safe and fair,” he said.

“We’ll keep using what’s going on around our community to judge the restriction changes we may or not make. Certainly, the signs are positive that we can look to an easing of some of those in the coming period of time.

“At some level, visitor restriction of some form, whether they might be PPE, or limited time… may be with us for some period.”

During the press event Mr Fraser also took the opportunity to praise Ballarat for its response to the pandemic and acknowledged that expectations around the length of time restrictions have been going for, and their impact, were of concern.

“We’ve done remarkably well as a community for the last few months and I’m sure the community will continue to do so well,” he said.

“I understand the community is very frustrated about restrictions, and regional Victoria having earned the right to have some easing of those restrictions, and by and large I think the Premier’s announcements… were a sign that he’s open to some further work in that regard.

“Regional Victoria has done really well, we haven’t had the demand and pressures that metropolitan Melbourne has had, and that’s a very good thing for us to maintain.”

“We don’t want to be in an environment where exposure is running rampant though our community.”

With relatively low numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in Ballarat recently the health service was not currently providing care to any affected patients in the city.

Yet Mr Fraser did say BHS staff were overseeing cases in the service’s wider catchment area.

“We are… providing broader care across the region,” he said. “We have a number of patients in Bacchus Marsh and in Horsham we’re providing ongoing care to through our infections diseases folk.”

 

Milestones on the road map

Step two

All of regional Vic from 11.59pm, 13 September

– Five people from two households can gather outdoors

– Singles can form “social bubbles” one other person

– Playgrounds and outdoor pools reopen

– Staged return to school in term 4.

 

Step three

When regional Vic reaches less than five cases on average, with no unknow transmission over 14 days

– No restrictions on leaving home

– 10 people can gather outdoors

– up to five people from another household can visit

– Hospitality to reopen with outdoor seated service

– return of under-18 non-contact and contact and over-18 non-contact out door sport

– 10 people at weddings, 20 at funerals

 

Last step

From 23 November if no new cases statewide for 14 days

– 50 people can gather out doors

– 20 people vising your home at once

– 20 people indoors at hospitality venues, capped at 50 in total

– all retail to reopen

 

If Victoria can go 28 days with no active cases and there’s no outbreaks of concern in other parts of Australia most restrictions could be dropped and a return to onside work if you’ve been working from home.