1 August 2021

Dear colleagues,

On the second day of South East Queensland’s three-day lockdown, the State has recorded 9 new cases relating to the latest COVID-19 community cluster. Specifically, there has been reference to families with children at 5 local Brisbane schools: 

• Indooroopilly State High School 
• Ironside State School 
• St Peter’s Lutheran College 
• Brisbane Boys Grammar School 
• Brisbane Girls Grammar School 
• and anyone who attended on Open Day event at Brisbane Girls Grammar School on Friday July 30.

Families with children at these schools will have received correspondence from their schools advising home isolation pending further advice. Specific advice is being developed by the CHO office and will vary according to risk assessment. 

There will be many Metro North staff who will be affected by this and will be awaiting formal advice.  If you have received a direct public health quarantine instruction, then you must oblige by the specific requirements that are outlined in that. 

If you are a staff member with family connection to the listed schools, we ask that you make a priority effort to get a COVID test as soon as possible today.

Working from home    

A reminder that as a hospital and health service, we are essential services and we are required to keep working.  

With that being said, we are supporting staff to work from home for the duration of the lockdown where appropriate. However, there are caveats to this. All work from home requests must be approved by your Executive Director, as at this time, we require staff to be diverted to operational priority work including clinical, clerical, cleaning and concierge work in other areas.   

This means you may be required to support the operation of our fever clinics, concierge services and vaccination clinics. Corporate staff may be redeployed to provide administrative support to these areas to ensure clinical operations can continue to run safely and efficiently during this increase in activity.   

Your local EOCs are currently working to provide a list to Executive Directors of areas that need additional support during this time. If you are not needed to support this work, you may then be granted permission by your Executive Director to work from home.

Visitor restrictions

A reminder that visitor restrictions apply across all Metro North facilities.  Please refer to the Queensland Health website for details.

Students on clinical placement are not permitted to attend a Metro North facility during the lockdown period, even if they are a fully vaccinated.

If staff have any queries or concerns, please contact your local facility EOC or speak to your line manager.
 
Thank you everyone for continuing to go above and beyond as we all work together to keep our community safe. 

Kind regards,

Colleen Jen 
Metro North Incident Controller

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

*As at 1/08/2021 at 1100

**Metro North Health has four recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)   

*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North Health.