Dear Colleagues,

Happy Monday and welcome to a new week in our COVID-19 response environment (even though they all seem to blend into one!). I hope everyone managed to have a restful weekend spent with immediate loved ones. Our numbers of new confirmed cases overnight are sitting at three for Queensland and zero across Metro North.

Today, I’d like to touch on the following updates:

• Australian Government COVIDSafe App
• New Public Health Directive
• Staff COVID-19 Testing and Staying Home

Australian Government COVIDSafe App

The Australian Government has launched a voluntary coronavirus contact tracing app, COVIDSafe. The app is an important initiative as part of the federal government’s response to slow the spread of COVID-19 through early notification of possible exposure.

The app is easily downloaded (even I could do it) and Metro North Executive are very supportive of you doing so. Of course, downloading this application is very much a personal choice but just by way of reassurance, in speaking to our IT experts in Metro North they are very comfortable that the privacy settings are appropriate.

New Public Health Directive

With effect from today, 27 April 2020, the Queensland Government has introduced tough new penalties to protect public officials and other workers. As healthcare workers, we are protected under this directive. If a person intentionally coughs, sneezes or spits (or threatens to do so) at a public official or other worker they can be fined up to $1335 on the spot and may also face criminal charges.

Please don’t ever accept this behaviour from any patient or consumer, even out of the COVID-19 space. In Metro North we are committed to the health, well-being and safety of our staff at all times. If an incident such as this occurs to you, please contact your line manager immediately and they will assist you in taking the appropriate action.

Staff COVID-19 Testing and Staying Home

Not only are you, our staff, vital in our COVID-19 response initiatives, you are also responsible for assisting in flattening the curve and stopping the spread by staying home if you are unwell. If you are at work and become unwell requiring testing for COVID-19, do not return to work following your test. Stay at home until you receive a negative notification which can take up to 48 hours.

With home restrictions being eased as of May 2 2020, I want to remind everyone that we are still required to maintain social distance and excellent hand hygiene, not travel any further than 50km from our houses and interact outdoors only with members of our household and up to one other person.

While on the subject of hand hygiene and social distancing, 5-year-old Xavier has learnt an excellent song at school which I think everyone should be learning! You can watch his message to us all here. Once we have all mastered the song perhaps we could start a Metro North choir!!! Possibly best led by Xavier!!

I cannot stress enough the importance of remaining compliant with the new relaxed restrictions come May 2nd. We, as committed healthcare workers, have done a tremendous job and as Queenslanders I think we should all be commended but we are at this stage because of our compliance with the original restrictions so let’s keep it up and get back to our beloved Queensland way of life as soon as we safely can! I am so looking forward to the day that I can go to a restaurant again. I love the idea of dining in a lovely eating venue again and having someone do the hard work for me. Uber Eats is one thing, but the ability to dine out is quite another.

The weather today was superb so have a lovely Queensland Autumn evening and I will chat again tomorrow.

Keep up the outstanding work!

Kindest regards,

Alanna Geary

Metro North Health Incident Controller

Metro North HHS – Overview of Cases*

*With effect 1000 27 April 2020

**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