OCTOBER 6, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Pool reopens with a splash Happy Brimbank swimmers are dusting off their goggles and donning their bathers as outdoor public pools reopen for the first time in months. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor pools, as well as outdoor exercise for up to two people with a trainer, came into effect last Monday under step two of the state government’s roadmap out of lockdown. Sunshine Leisure Centre was one of the first to reopen on September 28, allowing a maximum of 20 swimmers at any one time to take to the water for pre-booked hourly sessions. The outdoor pool is open for limited lap swimming, walking and water exercise only, via the session system and all members must be wearing a mask when not swimming or exercising. While open air pools are allowed to open, other outdoor facilities such as bowls clubs, tennis courts and golf courses remain closed. Residents are allowed to exercise within a five-kilometre radius of their home or their workplace, but cannot book to swim at an outdoor pool outside those limits. Bookings: bit.ly/3cHFOOp Hiell Nguyen and his son Jackson, 6, at Sunshine Leisure Centre. (Damjan Janevski) 217172_01
Esther Lauaki
Aged care testing blitz By Esther Lauaki Aged care workers in Brimbank’s two worst affected facilities will be COVID tested fortnightly to fight any further outbreaks. While outbreaks at Cumberland Manor Aged Care in Sunshine North, linked to 124 cases, and Kalyna Aged Care in Delahey, linked to 109 cases, have slowed, the state government last week announced the roll-out of its new Surveillance Testing Program. The surveillance program – a defense measure as Victoria takes steps towards
reopening – aims to have 25 per cent of staff in a high-risk workplace tested each week. Premier Daniel Andrews said the government was doing even more to monitor sensitive settings such as aged care. “There are 147 active cases linked to aged care facilities in metropolitan Melbourne,” Mr Andrews said last week. “Our officials have reached an agreement with the Commonwealth to ensure regular testing of our public and private sector aged care workforce. “Public health teams will test all public
aged care facility staff because they are often co-located and are linked to hospital services. “Commonwealth health teams will test private aged care facility staff using a private provider. “Metropolitan aged care staff will be tested every fortnight … around 50 per cent of the workforce a week. “If a staff member is asymptomatic and not linked to an aged care outbreak they will not be required to isolate and wait for their test results to come through before they return to work. “This is to ensure that we have a really
significant sample of aged care staff in Melbourne … getting tested. “It is a way to monitor and achieve three things; finding any coronavirus cases that are there, validating that there aren’t coronavirus cases there – which is important given how vulnerable our residents are in aged care– and it gives us an opportunity to monitor compliance with all the other COVID safe planning and to make sure that everyone is being as vigilant as they can be across all sectors.” Brimbank, considered a COVID hotspot, had 37 active cases as of Sunday.
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