Dear colleagues,

I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!

It has been another busy weekend here in the Metro North EOC as we navigate the latest Border Restriction Direction and continue to support a number of people in hotel quarantine alongside other government agencies. It is an enormous and complex operation, but we are learning a lot from our government counterparts and I’m sure they are learning just as much from us!

Latest update

Queensland has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 again today, which shows how well we have rallied together to help avoid further community transmission. Keep up the great work!

A reduction in tests over the last 24 hours has seen quicker turnaround times for test results and stabilised wait times in our clinics.

Staff travel from the NSW border zone

We are working on guidelines for staff impacted by yesterday’s hard border closure to NSW and ACT. This pertains to staff who commute daily for work or have a residential address over the border, as well as staff who see patients both in the NSW border area and in the Metro North catchment. We have asked all facilities to identify those of you who fall into these categories, so please tell your line manager as soon as possible if this relates to you.

We have sent broad guidelines to facility EOCs this afternoon about applying for border exemptions for impacted staff, and further guidance will be provided during the week.

Metro North’s Tier 1 response

As we head into another week of our Tier 1 response, I’d like to remind you what this means for us day to day. Some of the key components include:

• Increased focus on avoiding overcrowding lifts and maintaining distancing in tea rooms and common areas. Please see the suite of posters available the COVID-19 extranetfor display in your work areas.
• Increased use of our virtual models for outreach.
• Cancellation of non-essential face-to-face meetings or use of Teams.
• Non-essential training to be cancelled or delivered virtually where possible.
• Continued reduction of hospital access points.
• Increased high touch point area cleaning.
• Continued concierge service at key entrances.
• Continued security presence at entrances to facilities.

Please continue to lead by example and practice our Metro North Mantra both at work and in public. I encourage you to kindly remind others to do the same!

Wellbeing during this time

Staying up to date is important but taking care of your mental wellbeing comes first. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the near-constant stream of COVID-19 news, consider setting yourself some limits on how many times you check the news each day, or when you choose to get your news. Take it from me, last thing at night is never a good idea. You don’t want to be dreaming about COVID-19 as well!

Also be mindful of where you are getting your updates. Try and stick to reputable sources, such as these daily messages, the Australian Government Department of Health or Queensland Health.

After another day of no new cases, I’m feeling incredibly grateful to live in Queensland and I’m sure many of you are feeling the same. Continue reaching out to your family and friends in Victoria over the coming weeks – they need every bit of our support and strength! Our thoughts are with all Victorian healthcare workers who are showing nothing but courage and compassion in the face of this huge challenge.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Kind regards,
Alanna Geary
Metro North Incident Commander

Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*

*With effect 8 August 2020, 10:00am
**Metro North has three recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North.