Dear Resident Family Member,

I am writing to give you update on the COVID-19 outbreak at our Nulkaba households at Calvary Cessnock, and some important changes for visitors to the Bimbadeen households.

Changes for visitors to Bimbadeen households from tomorrow:

As an added protection for our residents and staff and to help stop the spread of infection, all visitors to the Bimbadeen households will need to undertake a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before entering.

• This will take effect from tomorrow, Saturday, 22 January.

• All nominated visitors are asked to please stop in at the main administration building, where staff will be on hand to administer the test.

• There are two (2) periods for arriving visitors – 11am to 2pm; and from 3.15pm to 4pm.

• RAT testing for visitors will not be available between 2pm and 3.15pm. We are also screening our staff, and those conducting the tests will be attending to the large volume of staff that arrive for afternoon shift at this time.

• The set time periods relate to visitors’ arrival. Once inside, visitors may stay longer.

• We understand that there may sometimes need to be exceptions. If so, please make prior arrangements with the home manager – contact 4993 9000 during business hours.

• Testing is expected to take about 20 minutes, so please allow extra time for your visit, and please be patient as our staff will be trying to administer the tests as quickly as possible for you.

• Visitation continues to be in line with Calvary’s nationwide visitor policy, with only one nominated visitor per resident will be permitted. You can read more in this update of 29 December 2021.

Testing for remaining Nulkaba households:

Pleasingly, there have been no further positive cases reported at Nulkaba households since our last update. The next scheduled round of testing for residents in the remaining households still in lockdown, Hebburn and Paxton, will go ahead as planned on Monday, 24 January.

We will update you with the results once the testing has been completed.

In the meantime, we are continuing to liaise with the Hunter New England Public Health Unit about the next steps and when it might be safe to further lift restrictions or re-open all of the Nulkaba households.

For the moment however, all of the Nulkaba households remain closed for general visitation until the public health unit deems it safe to reopen, with exceptions for end of life and compassionate visits.

When the Nulkaba households do re-open, visitation will also be limited to one nominated visitor per resident. Families will need to nominate a specific person and notify the home of who that will be. The visitor is strongly encouraged to have obtained a booster vaccine if they are eligible. The nominated visitors will, like Bimbadeen, be required to have rapid antigen test before entering.

Thank you again for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,

Bryan McLoughlin, Regional CEO – NSW & QLD