NEWS DESK
Aged care residents hit hard by virus Continued from Page 1 Ms Harris said that the outbreak had been hard on residents, but that they handled it well. “Our residents have been through so much in their lifetimes, that when it came to COVID-19, they really took it in their stride. It was obviously disruptive and they needed more support from staff than during regular times, but on the whole, they adapted really well,” she said. “It’s not always easy for families
who live far away to come in and visit their loved one, but now residents are used to seeing them on the screen, I think it will make it easier for them to stay in touch no matter where they live. We also set up a Facebook group earlier in the year where we share pictures and videos from the home for relatives to see. It’s been a great way to keep relatives updated quickly and show them all the fun activities we’ve still been able to run in the home during the lockdown.
“I have a great team who has been able to meet the needs of our residents and support them throughout. Other staff who came into our home to help during the outbreak all stepped up and took on our work ethic to make sure we kept the level of care high for our residents.” A BUPA Edithvale resident thanks the community for their support. Picture: Bupa
Council condemns ‘hate speech’ KINGSTON councillors have used their final ordinary meeting to send a message of support to marginalised communities. At their final meeting, councillors voted on a motion to reiterate “support for Indigenous Australians particularly those within our community and reiterate our commitment to working towards reconciliation, support for LGBTIQ+ Australians” and “support for our diverse multicultural community particularly in Kingston”. The motion also read that “hate speech and racism are not accepted or tolerated in our Kingston community”. The vote received unanimous support from councillors. The vote came after the Herald Sun uncovered racist memes allegedly posted by Kingston Council candidate Jane Agirtan. Posts on Ms Agirtan’s Facebook page targeting “Indigenous people, same sex parents and international students” were uncovered. Campaign material on Ms Agirtan’s Facebook page features a complimentary quote from sitting Kingston councillor Tamsin Bearsley.
COVID cases traced to shopping centre A SMALL cluster of COVID-19 cases in Frankston has been linked to an outbreak at Chadstone Shopping Centre. The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Frankston postcode jumped by five last Sunday, 20 September, bringing the total number of active cases in the municipality to nine.
On 1 October, deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng said that the rise in cases in Frankston involved one household, and had been traced to the outbreak at Chadstone. “On the outbreaks, we have a bit of a situation in Frankston that is linked to the Chadstone cases,” he said. “So at Chadstone, there have been eight cases in the fresh food part of Chadstone. The staff have been contact traced and cleaning has occurred, so it is perfectly safe to go back into Chadstone at this time. “At Frankston, there is an outbreak that involves a household that are being supported to isolate. At Frankston there is a popup clinic at the Peninsula Aquatic Centre. There is no exposure site in the area, but obviously for those who have symptoms in Frankston, if you could come forward for testing, that will help us find the cases and trace contacts. “I think it is about eight or nine people in the [Frankston] household. One of the members works at Chadstone. I don’t know off the top of my head how many cases there are, but I think a lot of them have had infections and are being supported to isolate. We thank them for their cooperation.” The DHHS’ list of high risk COVID-19 hotspots was updated to include five locations at the Chadstone Shopping Centre last week. Anyone who visited the Woolworths or Aldi from 8am to 9pm on 19 September, The Butcher Club or fresh food precinct between 23 and 26 September, or Coles on 27 September should monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms. As of 4 October there are 20 active COVID-19 cases linked to the Chadstone outbreak. For more information on high risk locations visit dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus Brodie Cowburn
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Be seen everywhere. Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News
7 October 2020
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