4 August 2021

Dear colleagues,

The number of cases associated with the Indooroopilly cluster has increased to 63 today, with 16 more cases in the past 24 hours.

Our colleagues in New South Wales continue to report daily numbers of over 200 new cases. This is an indication of where we could get to if we don’t all do our part and follow the Chief Health Officer’s directions and our Metro North Tier 2 COVID response. Please familiarise yourselves with the Tier 2 requirements which are being implemented across the health service.

We remain on moderate risk PPE, with the addition of fever clinic staff and emergency department triage staff wearing N95 masks. It’s also timely to remind everyone that mask wearing is mandatory – please remember to wear your mask when walking to and from your car, and to check in using the QR codes when moving between areas, floors or buildings. Please also continue to check the Queensland Health contact tracing website every day for new and updated information.

Updated CHO direction

The Chief Health Officer has issued the updated Restrictions for Locked Down Areas Direction (No.4).  The Direction clarifies and modifies restrictions during the lock down period to:

• Provide a list of non-exhaustive examples of essential goods or services to give guidance about appropriate reasons to leave home, and to encourage people to stay at home wherever possible;
• Permit alternate childcare arrangements to occur in a home by family members or friends, for example, allowing a grandparent to care for a grandchild while a parent works;
• Allow people to fulfil informal shared parenting and other child contact arrangements, regardless of whether these are court-ordered or not;
• Allow a person to remove their mask in an outdoor space if there are no other people present, other than members of their household;
• Allow a person to remove their mask if they are alone in an indoor space, for example, a person working alone in a closed office;
• Permit a person to enter or leave a locked down area for volunteering that is to provide social, welfare, safety, emergency or disaster services. For example, SES volunteers, care army, ready reserve;
• Clarifies that weddings and funerals can be conducted at any place they are ordinarily held, noting that any person on site will be included in the limit of 10 people;
• Prohibits live streaming of worship services, unless it is done from a person’s place of residence with each person participating from their own home;
• Includes an amended definition of essential work and volunteering to clarify that this includes work that is urgently required for safety reasons.

Ekka public holidays

Due to the current lockdown and cancellation of Ekka, the Ekka public holidays have been cancelled for greater Brisbane, Scenic Rim and Moreton Bay region. Rostering for these days is being worked out. If you have any questions about rostering or clinical care on those days, please talk to your supervisor.

Vaccination

In the current environment, we are unable to accommodate walk-ins at any COVID vaccination clinic. This is by direction of the CHO to avoid gatherings of people, but is also reflective of current booking levels. All clinics are fully booked according to available supply. Existing bookings will be honoured. Staff who have not yet had a first dose can still make a booking.

Be polite

Unfortunately not all staff are displaying our Metro North values at the moment. We are receiving daily reports of staff members being abusive to concierge staff, fit testers and vaccination clinic staff. This is unacceptable behaviour. All staff are expected to behave in alignment with Metro North’s values of respect, compassion, teamwork, high performance, and integrity.

Vidcast

Acting CE Jackie Hanson and I held a staff COVID vidcast today. If you were unable to tune in, the recording is now available on QHEPS. We will host another COVID vidcast on Friday.

Regards,

Louise O’Riordan 
Metro North Incident Controller

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

*As at 4/08/2021 at 1000
**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.