COVID Bulletin - 8 October 2021

Use the new guidance to manage COVID-19 exposures in your practice and reopen following an exposure

The Victorian Department of Health (VDoH) has released new healthcare worker contact-management guidelines for managing COVID-19 exposures in general practices to help you keep your staff, your patients and yourself safe. The guidelines cover assessing and managing contacts and quarantining (furloughing) staff.

In addition, the VDoH has drastically eased the requirements for closing and reopening your practice following a COVID-19 exposure:

• If a member of your practice staff is exposed to COVID-19, the practice is no longer required to automatically close for 14 days. However, that decision will still be made by the VDoH in line with the new risk-assessment matrix.
• If you do have to close your practice, you no longer have to wait for official VDoH clearance before reopening, so long as the required steps are taken (see below).

The Healthcare worker contact assessment and management guidance – General practice clinics includes an exposure-event risk matrix that covers what to do if one of your staff is exposed to COVID-19 and your practice becomes an exposure site.

The guidelines will be available on the VDoH’s GP practice planning – Coronavirus (COVID-19) website.​

The VDoH has changed the clearance requirements to help your practice reopen safely following closure due to a COVID-19 exposure.

To alleviate delays in exposure-site clearance, your practice no longer has to wait for clearance from the VDoH to reopen.

You must still follow the required steps for reopening (including deep cleaning and submitting a contact-tracing log to the VDoH), but you can now reopen once these steps are completed without awaiting formal VDoH clearance.

If your practice is an exposure site

If your practice is deemed a COVID-19 exposure site, businesses must follow the advice outlined on the Victorian Government Coronavirus website; however, general practices must apply the exposure-event risk matrix to determine when a healthcare worker can return to work after an exposure:

• My business is a Tier 1 exposure site
• My business is a Tier 2 exposure site

Cleaning

Continuous and effective cleaning continues to be a key strategy in minimising the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Access the VDoH COVID-19 cleaning guidelines for workplaces.

Personal protective equipment

The VDoH’s personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance outlines what level of PPE you should use relative to the current COVID risk rating.

• Guide to the conventional use of PPE
• COVID risk ratings: Victorian health service guidance and response to COVID-19 risks

Infection-control support

Call 1800 312 968 (‌9.00‌ am – 5.00‌ pm, weekdays) for free infection-prevention and control advice or visit the Infection Prevention Helpline website.

You can find more information on exposure prevention and management for general practice on the GP practice planning – Coronavirus (COVID-19) website.

General practices are playing a critical role in responding to COVID-19 outbreaks and ensuring Victorians receive the essential services they need. The RACGP will continue to provide the support and information you need to keep your community safe and your practice viable.