From 5pm today (29 March) Greater Brisbane will go into a three-day lockdown and restrictions will come into place across Queensland after more cases of COVID-19 transmission were detected in the community.
While this new development regarding COVID-19 in Brisbane has been swift, we have not been caught off guard.
As the provider of essential services, the care we provide to the people we support will continue as it always does, with no interruption.
We wish to reassure everyone with loved ones who are part of the Mercy Community family that the wellbeing of both the people we support and our dedicated staff is our highest priority.
All our Queensland teams will be wearing masks during the lockdown period in the interests of keeping ourselves and the people we support safe.
At this stage, the lockdown is about giving public health officials time to get on top of contact tracing. This does not mean COVID-19 is everywhere. So, while we need to respond, we need to do it calmly. If you are reading this and you have not yet checked the active contract tracing alerts and list of locations put out this afternoon by Queensland Health, please do so here: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/contact-tracing
Aged Care Services and Disability Accommodation residences
In light of these directives, we remain committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the people we support and our team.
This means that Aged Care facilities and Disability Accommodation across Queensland are now in lockdown.
Both our Aged Care Services and Disability Accommodation residences will not be accepting visitors at this time, nor are people residing in these homes able to go out into the community except for essential appointments such as medical or healthcare needs and other essential reasons.
For more information please refer to this link: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/greater-brisbane-lockdown
What does it mean for the community?
Residents in the local government areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Logan and Redlands can only leave home for one of these four reasons:
- To buy essentials such as groceries or medications
- Work or study if you can’t do either from home
- Exercise in your local area
- Healthcare or to provide help, care or support.
What if my family member doesn’t understand what’s happening?
We will be doing everything we can to reassure the people we support and to assist them to understand the restrictions that we are being directed to implement. We can also assist you to be in communication so you can also provide assurance to your family member.
If you have any concerns, please talk to our teams and discuss ways you would like us to be supporting your family member.
Staying connected
We understand that this places a great strain on many families who have loved ones in our services. You can keep in touch by:
- phone and video calls
- sending home videos.
Again, talk to our staff if you have any concerns.
What is Mercy Community doing?
We will continue to take advice from Queensland Health and are monitoring the situation closely.
We understand that this is a difficult and distressing time for families and friends of the people we support and appreciate the impact that this has.
We thank you for your support, patience and understanding as we face these restrictions. Your co-operation in these matters is very much appreciated.
We encourage you to monitor Queensland Health’s website and Facebook page and continue to follow their directives to protect yourself and others. As always, we strongly recommend everyone with symptoms to immediately get tested. Vigilance is key to keeping community transmission out of Queensland.
For more information
You can read Queensland Health’s directive addressing visitation to disability accommodation here: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/disability-accommodation-services
And you’ll find Queensland Health’s directive addressing visitation to Aged Care Facilities here: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/aged-care
In addition, the overarching 3-day lockdown information from Queensland Health can be found here: www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/greater-brisbane-lockdown
Queries or concerns
If you have any queries or concerns, you have the choice of contacting:
For general enquiries call (07) 3866 4160 or email info@mercycs.org.au
For enquiries regarding our disability services contact Sandra Bain, Director, NDIS Individualised Support, on 3866 4237 or email sandra.bain@mercycommunity.org.au
For enquiries regarding our aged care facility contact Loretta Creevey, Facilities Manager, Aged Care Services, on 3260 9555 or email loretta.creevey@mercycommunity.org.au
