11 September 2021

Dear colleagues,

Queensland cases

This morning the Premier announced there are now five local cases of COVID-19 connected to the school student from Sunnybank that was announced yesterday. These five cases are all from the same family.

Hospital visitors 

As of 1am this morning, Saturday 11 September, visitor restrictions are in place for hospitals, aged care and disability facilities across the Logan City Local Government Area and the area of Brisbane City Council south of the Brisbane River (Metro South).

Anyone who lives or works in the Local Government Area of Logan City or the area of Brisbane City Council south of the Brisbane River, or who has lived or worked in these areas since 11 September 2021, is not permitted to visit a hospital anywhere in Queensland.

Despite these restrictions, the following people may enter a hospital in Queensland if they are:

• an employee or contractor of the facility
• providing goods or services necessary for the facility’s operation
• providing health, medical, pharmaceutical or pathology services to a patient
• required for emergency management, law enforcement or to comply with a power or function of a government agency or entity
• maintaining continuity of care for a resident that can’t be delivered by non-contact means – with permission of the facility’s operator
• attending for an end of life visit.

What does this mean for Metro North facilities? 

• Visitors cannot enter our facilities if they live or work in Logan City or the area of Brisbane City Council south of the Brisbane River unless attending for an end of life visit.
• Metro North staff and contractors who live in Logan City or in the area of Brisbane City Council south of the Brisbane River are still permitted to enter our facilities.
• Students can only enter our facilities for a placement connected to their enrolled course of study if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Normal restrictions remain, with visitors and staff unable to enter our facilities if they have been to a COVID-19 hotspot, an exposure venue, or an interstate area of concern in the last 14 days.

We will be watching closely to see what happens over the coming days.

Please continue to monitor the list of COVID-19 exposure venues, and keep up the physical distancing, hand washing, and mask wearing.

Regards,

Mark Butterworth 
Metro North Health Duty Executive

Metro North remains on Tier 1 

Despite this ease of restrictions, Metro North will continue to remain on Tier 1 in our COVID response plan and moderate risk PPE, with fever clinic staff and emergency department triage staff wearing P2/N95 masks. We will be assessing this status over the next few weeks.

PPE guidelines are online for healthcare delivery and for residential aged care and disability accommodation.

Helpful links

• Qld Health contact tracing list
• Register for your vaccine
• Qld Health general COVID-19 page
• Metro North COVID-19 extranet.

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

*As at 11/09/2021 at 1030
**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.