Department of Health sets up COVID-19 specific aged care page – 10 weeks after pandemic declared – plus staff and residents to be tested if two or more have symptoms

Another example of the Government arriving late at the party? 65 days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic – two weeks after Australia already declared the same – the Department has finally put its COVID-19 resources and advice for aged care providers and staff on the one page. You can find the page here. The page – which covers topics such as when you must not go to work, getting coronavirus testing and identifying symptoms in older people – also notes that the testing criteria for aged care homes only requires two people to be sick for everyone to be tested. “Aged and residential care facilities are high-risk settings. Staff (and residents) will also be tested if there are 2 or more people with fever and respiratory symptoms in the setting,” it highlights.