Page 1575 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021
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Anyone who has been to a close contact exposure location must not enter the ACT unless they obtain an exemption before arriving. If individuals have already arrived in the ACT and are identified as close contacts, they must contact ACT Health, get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine immediately for 14 days from the date they were last in the exposure location, even if returning a negative test result.
Anyone who has attended a casual contact exposure location must: complete a self-declaration form within 24 hours prior to arriving in the ACT or within 24 hours from the commencement of a COVID-19 areas of concern notice; undergo appropriate testing for COVID-19, regardless of whether symptoms are present, as advised by an authorised person within ACT Health and isolate until receiving a negative test result; continue to monitor for symptoms for 14 days from the date last in the location, and get retested if symptoms develop, no matter how mild. Individuals must also comply with stay-at-home requirements if they have entered the ACT after 11.59 pm on 27 May.
Due to the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation in Victoria, ACT Health advises against travel to Victoria at this time unless for essential reasons. However, if individuals choose to travel to Victoria, they must abide by all public health restrictions put in place by the Victorian government. All travellers should be prepared to change their travel plans at short notice as the situation in Victoria continues to develop and must also be prepared to follow all ACT public health directions upon their return.
The COVID-19 vaccination program rollout is progressing well in the ACT. We are ensuring that the rollout continues in an efficient and, above all, safe manner. I am pleased to say that, as of 31 May, 49,508 doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered through ACT government clinics.
The ACT government vaccination clinics are now live on the Australian government’s vaccine eligibility checker. Eligible Canberrans, those in phases 1a and 1b and people over 50 years of age, can make a booking online. The eligibility checker links people directly to the MyDHR digital health record platform for online bookings. The ACT government COVID-19 vaccination phone booking line is also available for those who are unable to register for MyDHR or who prefer to speak with someone to make a booking.
We recognise that these systems can always be enhanced. The ACT Health Directorate is continuing to make improvements to the online booking system to make it an easier and more streamlined process for users. This includes lowering the threshold for a patient match on Medicare card details so that numbers do not have to be a 100 per cent match for people to create an account. The directorate is also working with Services Australia to prospectively update Medicare details for all patients who are currently in the ACT patient record system.
However, not everyone will be able to book online. Given the demand we have seen for telephone bookings, which currently account for about 57 per cent of all vaccination appointments, we are increasing staffing and working to better align the
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