Don’t get Covid complacent.
Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child said it was important to maintain a heightened awareness of the risks of Covid.
Residents and visitors are being warned not to get Covid complacent, as people enjoy the sunshine and holidays.
Bass Coast Health CEO Jan Child said it was important to maintain a heightened awareness of the risks.
“The virus is still active and still out there,” she said.
“It was always very contagious and it’s even more so now.”
She said she hoped the last couple of weeks had reminded everyone there is a “new normal” and people needed to remain vigilant.
“Any one of us can be exposed.”
She reinforced the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, frequent handwashing and using hand sanitisers.
“These are basic and easy safety principles,” Ms Child said.
“This is our new Covid world and it’s going to take months and months to get to a point where people don’t need to think about these things all the time.”
Even with the vaccine, she predicts “Covid won’t be gone this year".
Ms Child warned against individuals and businesses becoming complacent and said businesses need to stay focused and ensure their Covid safety plans were in place.
The re-emergence of the virus in Victoria held some important lessons.
“The takeaway from the last couple of weeks is, although some of the businesses that were exposed had done all the right things, they still had to manage some repercussions. But they did minimise the extent of the exposure and did help keep the community safe.”
But she said people needed to take personal responsibility for their own safety and realise there is a potential risk everywhere you go.
“You need to do everything you can to protect yourself and your family.”
For those who believe the situation is no longer serious, she has a clear message.
“You need to think about the most vulnerable person in your life and let’s talk through what it would mean for those people in your life if you got it.”
Local testing
When venues in Wonthaggi and Leongatha were listed as public exposure sites, local residents and visitors responded to the call to come forward for testing.
“We had huge numbers coming through for testing,” Ms Child said.
“A huge shout out to all of those who did.”
Bass Coast Health tested over 800 people on the first two days of January at Wonthaggi and the Urgent Care Centre.
In the first seven days of the year, 471 tests were carried out in Cowes, with the peak of 107 tests recorded on January 2.
Ms Child urged people to keep an eye on exposure sites on the DHHS website and get tested if needed.
Wear a mask
Ms Child said it was frustrating to see people refusing to wear masks or wearing them incorrectly.
“We can control how safe we are by being strict on these things. If you’re in an indoor public space, you should be wearing a mask. Those exposure sites from DHHS shows you what a risk this virus is. It’s a good reminder that if you’re in those spaces where you can’t distance, and you can’t be sure everyone else is doing the right thing, you need to arm yourself.”
Although it is not mandated, she recommended wearing a mask outdoors in busy streets.
Business safety
Ms Child said BCH had received calls from people concerned about the lack of Covid-safe practises in some businesses.
But equally, other venues had been put forward as great examples of Covid-safe venues.
Covid-safe examples for businesses included QR codes on tables (Services Victoria app for contract tracing), having Covid-safe rules clearly displayed and hand sanitiser available. Offering free masks to customers, staff all wearing masks correctly, ensuring tables were all distanced, social distancing managed in any queues and online bookings were all ways to increase customer safety.
“Some businesses have set up staff with screens, with sanitisers and have done it extremely well,” said Ms Child.
“They really managed the patrons in their businesses – so a huge congrats to them for showing true leadership in some of this behaviour change.”
Although she believed most businesses were doing a good job with Covid restrictions, she said people also needed to stay aware of the risks and follow the basic safety principles.
“Because we’re a holiday destination, there are people from all over Victoria coming here more than ever before. They’re coming for nice fresh air on Phillip Island and they can forget Covid.
“We need to remind everyone they’ve got to bring those behaviours with them, wherever they go.”
Anyone with even the mildest symptoms is urged to get tested immediately and stay home until they receive their results.
