Dear all,

ECH is busily preparing the most important celebration for our culture – Chinese New Year to welcome the Year of the Tiger.

Wish everybody Happy New Year and prosperous Year of the Tiger in health and in wealth.

We understand during Chinese New Year, everybody wants to have good celebrations and spending time with family with home leaves. While ECH is very supportive of our residents and staff enjoying the festive seasons, we seek for your attention of the extensive Omicron outbreaks in the community by excising highest infection control practices for the wellness of our elders.

Please respect our Covid free environment and practices as management endeavor to protect our residents with healthy supplies of appropriate PPE (N95 / P2 masks) and strict screening process (RAT and EntryTrakr). This is a challenging task for a small community-based Nursing Home to stock the supplies with our own cost as the government prioritize supplies to outbreak / exposure sites.  

We are finally getting Federal In reach clinic to come to ECH to provide boosters for our residents on 3 February 2022 (3^rd day of the Year of the Tiger) and another 7 – 14 days to have the highest protections for our residents.

ECH regrettably need to cancel the Lion Dance, we however will organize enjoyable programs on Wednesday, 2 February 2022 which is the 2^nd day of the Year of the Tiger (??)with the God of Wealth to give red pocket and gifts for luck, health and wealth.

ECH thrives to further support our residents to enjoy the Chinese New Year and taking the update of DHHS ‘Visitors to Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) Guidance V 1.3 as follows:

• All staff are wearing N95 / P2 masks and other appropriate PPE
• We appreciate families and visitors to wear N95 if needed, ECH can provide N95 and staff supervising the proper wearing of N95 especially for family members providing cares for their loved ones (unable to maintain social distancing). This is subjected to personal health / personal belief issues. Please respect ECH harassment free working environment and be patience with our staff.
• When taking residents out for celebrations, please exercise highest COVID precautions in the community e.g. good and frequent hand hygiene, social distancing, wearing of mask when attending indoor venue (other than home). With the high transmittable nature of Omicron variants and residents waiting for full protections to be offered by boosters, please further consider it as high risk when attending public, crowded and indoor venues, please consider wearing of N95 / P2 masks under such circumstances. Please contact ECH Nurse in charge of supply and proper wearing of N95 / P2 masks if encounter problems. ECH is a small and community-based organization prioritizing the wellness and safety of our residents, we are happy to go extra to help.
• All families and visitors are strictly screened by RAT when entering ECH. DHHS further clarified “COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are required to be completed by visitors on the day of the visit prior to entry to the facility”.  As such RAT of yesterday is not applicable for today.
• Whereas all staff, allied health professionals and contractors entering Nursing Homes are mandatory to be vaccinated, all visitors of residents are strongly recommended to get vaccinated. Please note the further clarification of the updated DHHS directive issued on 19 January 2022:

For person entering the facility who have had contact with a COVID-19 positive person in the past, prior entering a Nursing Home, there will be

• 7 days waiting period if the visitor is fully vaccinated, is not a close contact and has not returned a negative COVID-19 PCR test; or
  • 14 days waiting period if the visitor is not fully vaccinated or is a close contact and not returned a negative COVID-19 PCR test.
• As such, please be patient if staff requires to see the evidence of vaccinations and understanding the exposure / close contact history if needed.
• Due to the complexity of the screening process, ECH further provides Admin office coverage over weekends and public holidays from 11 AM to 5 PM. Please support us by visiting ECH at the time as far as practicable to allow Nurse in charge and care staff to focus on residents’ cares.

As recommended by DHHS, the Tips for RACFs to support safe visitation:

Excluded visitors

• While visitors are allowed, under the Pandemic Hospitals and Care Facilities Order, some people are not permitted to enter a care facility. This includes people who:

•           have symptoms of COVID-19

•           have had a COVID-19 PCR test and are waiting for the result

•           are required to isolate or quarantine

•           have had contact with a COVID-19 positive person in the past:

–        7 days if the visitor is fully vaccinated, is not a close contact and has not returned a negative COVID-19 PCR test; or

–        or 14 days if the visitor is not fully vaccinated or is a close contact and not returned a negative COVID-19 PCR test.

• An exemption to this requirement may be granted by the Chief Health Officer, their delegate or the Director of a facility if the visitor is providing end of life support to a resident.

Please be patient with the waiting times for the RAT results and any precaution measures as instructed by DHHS.

We seek your understanding and supports to make ECH a harassment free working environment for our staff.

Residents leave:

• Residents can leave ECH for any reason but must comply with current restrictions applicable to all Victorians as observe the spiking of Omicron outbreaks in community as above.
• Screening and RAT when return to facility from any outing.

Kindly share this update with other family members who may wish to be kept informed.

Let’s keep safe and enjoy the festive seasons.