Australian Government Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has today lifted the current COVID-19 Hotspot for the purposes of Commonwealth support for all Victorian local government areas, excluding those in Greater Melbourne and the City of Greater Shepparton. The Hotspot will remain in place for greater Melbourne and Shepparton until 11:59pm on 23 September 2021, with review on or before this date.
Increasing daily case numbers, with a high proportion of infectious cases whilst in the community, has led to an increasing number of exposure sites listed on the Victorian Government’s website. This poses an ongoing risk to the community.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Kelly has also extended the current Hotspots for all local government areas in New South Wales, and for the Jervis Bay Territory, until 11:59pm on 16 September 2021, with review on or before this date.
Professor Kelly reminds the community of the risk and requests they continue to follow the directions of the Victorian Government and the New South Wales Government.
Declaring a hotspot for Commonwealth support triggers, if required:
- Provision of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile
- Actions for aged care facilities including PPE, single site workforce supplement and integration of an aged care response centre into the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre
- Boosted assistance with contact tracing
- Asymptomatic testing via general practitioner-led respiratory clinics
- Reprioritisation of vaccine supplies, if required
- Access to COVID-19 Disaster Payment, if eligibility criteria are met
- Two Medicare Benefits Schedule items for telehealth consultations for patients in COVID-19 hotspots.
- Support for childcare services, including additional allowable absences, gap fee waivers and support payments, if other eligibility criteria are met.
To stay updated on areas tagged as Hotspots, visit your local government’s health department websites. Abiding restrictions in place is recommended to avoid the further spread of the virus.
Original story found on the Australian Government Department of Health website. Note: Content has been edited for style and length.
Nina Alvarez is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel. Her interests include writing, particularly about the healthcare sector and the many ways it can improve to further benefit people from all walks of life.
