Visitor Requirement

• Visiting hours are from 9am-5pm every day including public holidays.
• Visitors are required to answer screening questions, have their temperature taken and adhere to SAV visitor’s guidelines and public health directives.
• Restrictions on numbers of visitors able to visit may change with short notice, dependent upon Emergency Orders being enacted at the time. Your ability to visit maybe restricted without notice.
• Visitation should take place in the resident’s room or outdoors.
• Restrictions on food would apply if related to an infectious agents such as norovirus or salmonella outbreaks within the community. Such restrictions would be updated accordingly
• Visitors are required to stay up to date with current rules and restrictions in place for visitors as outlined by the ACT health directives.

Advice for visitors

All Visitors are required to have consideration and a good working knowledge of the current advice as outlined in https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/home. Anyone who have been in contact with confirmed COVID-19 case, have any symptoms should not visit the facility. Anyone who have travelled to geographical area of risk should not visit the facility for 14 days since leaving these sites.

As of 23 March 2020, until the conclusion of the declared public health emergency, a person must not enter, or remain on, the premises of a residential aged care facility in the ACT unless:

• the person is a resident of the facility;
• the person is an employee or contractor of the residential aged care facility; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is for the purposes of providing goods or services that are necessary for the effective operation of the residential aged care facility; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is for the purposes of providing health, medical or pharmaceutical goods or services to a resident of the residential aged care facility; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is for the purposes of a care and support visit to a resident of the residential aged care facility; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is for the purposes of end of life support for a resident of the residential aged care facility; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is required for the purposes of emergency management or law enforcement; or
• the person’s presence at the premises is in the person’s capacity as a prospective resident of the residential aged care facility.

This means that you can visit your family member or close friend in an aged care facility for the purposes of providing care and support.

However, you cannot visit aged care facilities if you:

• Have returned from overseas in the last 14 days.
• Have been in a geographical area of risk in the last 14 days.
• Have been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
• Have a temperature higher than 37.5 degrees or history of fever (e.g. night sweats or chills).
• Symptoms of a respiratory infection such as a cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of smell or loss of taste.

Visitors are encouraged to remember the following COVID-safe behaviours:

• Follow the rules put in place by the aged care facility.
• Keep your visit to one area: a resident’s room, outdoors, or a designated visitors’ area.
• Keep out of communal areas where risk of transmission is greater.
• Maintain physical distance of 1.5 meters wherever possible.
• Practise good hand and respiratory hand hygiene.

Children of all ages can visit a residential aged care facility. They must always be supervised to ensure they follow physical distancing and hygiene measures.

School or childcare groups cannot visit residential aged care facilities.

If you can’t visit your family and friends in a residential aged care facility, it’s important to keep in touch. Make phone or video calls, send postcards, photos or artwork, or film short videos to share.

Welfare or wellbeing visit

The following people can attend a residential aged care facility for a welfare or wellbeing visit.

Visits are permitted if an alternative is not available online, via telehealth or on a virtual basis.

Examples of services include

• A solicitor
• Diversional therapist
• Hairdressing services – these services should be conducted in the resident’s room, outdoors, or in a specific area designated by the residential aged care facility, rather than communal areas.

These visitors will need to comply with restrictions, including:

• The requirement to have an influenza vaccination
• No more than two visitors per resident at any one time
• Visitors cannot stay longer than two hours

Travel Restriction

Kindly Visit https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/community/travel for current travel information and restrictions.

If you have recently travelled to an area with a COVID-19 outbreak, or you have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting test results, you are required to isolate for 14 days and are not able to enter St Andrews Village facility.