| Dear customers, families and friends, As the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation in South Australia has evolved over the past week, we have been continually keeping in touch with you to reinforce restrictions and recommendations, based on SA Government and SA Health advice. The good news is, as of 12:01 am on Sunday, November 22 (midnight Saturday) the strict lockdown will be lifted and South Australia will revert to similar restrictions that were in place on Monday, November 16. The SA Government has also stated that, effective immediately, South Australian residents can leave their home to exercise, with others who reside in the same home. What this means for all South Australians from 12:01am on Sunday, November 22: Cafes, restaurants, takeaway will reopen, but with some restrictions still in place. Funerals can resume with a maximum of 50 attendees. Weddings can resume with a maximum of 150 attendees. Religious ceremonies (churches) can resume with a maximum of 100 attendees. Gyms and fitness facilities will reopen. A maximum of 10 people will be allowed in private residences (including those who live there). Masks in public are recommended, however not mandatory. Social distancing and thorough hygiene practices (hand washing, surface cleaning etc.) should still continue. There will be no restrictions on how many times a day you can leave your home and how many people from a household can leave the home together. As of Monday, November 23, all students will be able to return to school, aside from those who have been instructed to quarantine. What this means for Cara customers: All Home and Community Support (HCS) and Short Term Accommodation – Respite (STA) will resume from Wednesday, however Cara can consider providing this assistance earlier in critical circumstances. Day options services can resume from Monday, however this will be up to each customer and their guardian to decide which day this will recommence, provided their day options service has reopened. Cara will have staff rostered during the day on Monday and Tuesday in Supported Independent Living services. Customers can attend regular medical appointments and therapies. Customers can go the park, go for walks etc. Cara staff will continue wearing masks when providing personal care and when it is not possible to social distance. This may mean that in some Supported Independent Living locations, Cara staff will always wear a mask. Visitors to the home should still be limited to reduce the risk of infection to all people sharing the house. We recommend up to two essential visitors (family or guardians) per day for each customer. We ask visitors to wear a mask (which we can supply) and to meet with their loved ones in their bedroom or outdoors. SA Health is continuing contact tracing efforts and will still update their website with new locations that infected persons have been. Please continue to check their website regularly to see if you are impacted. To do this, click the following link or type the URL into your web address bar and click on the orange banner at the top of the page: www.sahealth.sa.gov.au. |
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| If you have been in certain high-risk locations, SA Health will contact you, as you may have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. It is important that we all remain careful, considered and do not become complacent around the threat of COVID-19 to our community. If you do have symptoms (fever and/or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell), you must isolate, get tested for COVID-19 and stay isolated until your result is known. Where can I find more information? For the most up to date and accurate information regarding restrictions, visit www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/response. For all contact tracing and COVID-19 hotspot information, visit www.sahealth.sa.gov.au. You can also go to our website at www.cara.org.au for all of Cara’s latest news and updates. Thank you for your patience, cooperation and understanding throughout this latest situation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Cara Connect team on (08) 8347 4588 or at contact@cara.org.au. Yours sincerely, Liz Cohen Cara Chief Executive |
