Current Conditions

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Australian Government has put in place travel restrictions. Also, the current information is that as of 20 March 2020 only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members can travel to Australia.  Hence, all travellers arriving in Australia must undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated facilities such as a hotel, at their time of arrival. So with the current Coronavirus Melbourne is escalating, we need to do some some precautionary measures to prevent it from spreading.

These restrictions are under constant review as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, which will be updated according to the health advice from facilities all around Australia. So from the 25th of March, all Australian citizens and permanent residents won’t be allowed to travel out of Australia unless exempted from the government.

Hence, the health and safety of the elderly in aged care homes are of great importance, as most of the confirmed cases are from the elderly and most of have died from coronavirus.

In addition, Virgin Australia is in line with the advice given by the chief health officer, they are stopping all flights from their airlines as they do not wish to have their workers contracted with the virus.

Who are exempted from the restrictions?

The below travellers are exempted from ‘outbound’ travel restrictions.

• Persons ordinarily resident in a country other than Australia.
• Individuals who travel because their work is associated with offshore facilities.
• People who are working day to day based on outbound and inbound freight.
• People travelling on official government business
• Members of the Australian Defence Force(ADF).
• Airlines and maritime crews
• Associated Safety workers.

How has Covid-19 affected Melbourne

Coronavirus Melbourne has forced us to discontinue the way we used to clean and currently have set procedures to increase the cleaning of surfaces. So this means disinfecting contact surfaces such as elevator buttons, escalator rails and counter tops. In addition, cleaning frequency has been increased, focusing more on making sure bathrooms are cleaned every two hours. Also, we’ve installed hand sanitiser inside all of our amenities, and throughout the facility we are promoting hygiene practices in line with government advice.

Furthermore, at Circle Health we take into consideration all individuals, contact us immediately if you believe you have Covid 19. Therefore, you must stay home if you have been tested positive so to keep others from getting the any coronavirus cases.

We are working closely with the University of Melbourne alongside the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) , the Australian Government and health experts. Hence, our main priority is the safety, health and wellbeing of our staff and our community. Also, an updated information will be provided to enable everyone to know what is going on. Lastly, there has been an emergency support fund that is available to assist students who have experienced financial hardship as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).

What are the Greater Melbourne facilities doing?

Immunity, a joint venture between the University of Melbourne and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, which is of international importance.  The University is doing everything that it can to reduce rates of infection in the community. Hence, the Academic Calendar has been adjusted to allow for a one-week extension to our semester 1, 2020 teaching calendar. Mid-semester break will now take place from Monday 6 April to Sunday 19 April inclusive.

Furthermore, if you are feeling unwell, you can use the DHHS interactive  self-assessment tool to help you decide if you should be tested. So if you believe you have COVID-19, please contact us immediately. In addition, if you are experiencing common symptoms including fever, breathing difficulties, cough, sore throat and fatigue, please follow advice from DHHS. Call the dedicated hotlines on 1800 675 398 (Victoria) or 1800 020 080 (national), or contact the University Health Service or your regular General Practitioner.