24 October 2022

Changes to COVID-19 measures and payments

The Australian Government has made changes to COVID-19 measures and payments, including changes affecting workers in disability support settings.

Key Points

• COVID-19 isolation periods are no longer mandatory, however restrictions remain in place for workers providing care in hospitals, residential aged care and disability residential settings.

• A new High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment is available from 15 October for eligible workers in high-risk settings. This replaces the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.

•  A new factsheet is available with information about ventilation to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Updates to NDIA’s temporary COVID-19 measures include the ability for eligible participants to use their NDIS plan funding to purchase a device such as a portable air purifier.

• Registered NDIS providers and self-managing NDIS participants can access a two-week supply of personal protective equipment and rapid antigen tests from the National Medical Stockpile, under arrangements extended to 31 December 2022.

• Being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalisation and death. Providers continue to play an important role in supporting people with disability to maintain up to date vaccination against COVID-19.

Changes to mandatory isolation periods

National Cabinet has ended mandatory isolation requirements for COVID-19, effective 14 October. However, it remains important for people who continue to have respiratory symptoms after five days following a positive test to continue to isolate until symptoms have resolved. Restrictions remain for workers and visitors in high-risk settings.

Workers providing care in high-risk environments such as hospitals, residential aged care and disability residential settings must not attend work for seven days after testing positive for COVID-19 and while symptoms persist.

Visitors to high-risk settings are restricted for at least seven days after testing positive and while symptomatic. In some states or territories, high-risk settings may require COVID-19 cases to follow additional requirements - visit your local state or territory health department website for further advice.

Providers must continue to act with regard to the safety of the participants they support, including following health advice to prevent and manage infection outbreaks, including  staying home if unwell, to limit the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses.

See the AHPPC statement for more information.

Providers are strongly encouraged to review and update their risk assessments and outbreak management plans for ensuring the delivery of safe supports taking account of the available health advice and workplace safety obligations.

Providers must continue to notify the NDIS Commission of COVID-related events impacting their service delivery to participants, including infection outbreaks. This information continues to be important to enable the NDIS Commission to monitor risks for participants and take action to assist participants and providers where necessary to maintain continuity of critical supports. 

Visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website for more information. Safe Work Australia also provides information on workplace safety in COVID-19. 

New pandemic grant for workers in high-risk settings

A new High-Risk Settings Pandemic Payment grant program is available from 15 October 2022 to support eligible workers in high-risk settings if they are required to miss work for seven days due to COVID-19 infection.

This replaces the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment that ended on 14 October 2022.

The new payment covers casual workers, or workers without appropriate leave entitlements in health, care and support sectors, including workers providing disability supports and services involving close personal care and support services with frequent close contact. Visit Services Australia for more information.

Ventilation helps lower transmission risk of COVID-19

All employers have a duty to take practical measures to eliminate or minimise the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace. This includes providing adequate ventilation to reduce to spread of COVID-19, which spread quickly in poorly ventilated or crowded indoor settings.

Good ventilation is an important consideration for indoor disability settings as one tool to lower the transmission risk for people with disability and workers. This is particularly true where physical distancing and/or mask wearing is difficult to maintain.

The Department of Social Services has developed a fact sheet for disability providers on ventilation and COVID-19, and more information is available on the Safe Work Australia website.

The National Disability Insurance Agency has updated its COVID-19 measures to ensure participants and providers continue to be supported. This includes the ability for eligible participants to use their NDIS plan funding to purchase a device such as a portable air purifier. See more information in the Minister’s announcement.

Extension of access to the National Medical Stockpile (NMS)

The Australian Government has extended current access arrangements to the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) until 31 December 2022 for NDIS providers and self-managed NDIS participants.

Registered providers and self-managed NDIS participants can access a two-week supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and rapid antigen tests (RATs) from the NMS if they are unable to access these materials through the private market.

Self-managed NDIS participants and NDIS providers who are unable to source PPE or RATs through their normal channels can contact the NMS at NDISCOVIDPPE@health.gov.au. Requests for resources from the NMS are triaged according to need.

COVID-19 vaccination in-reach program

Vaccination and staying up to date with recommended vaccinations continues to offer important protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.

It continues to be a key priority to ensure that all people with disability living in group accommodation settings are supported to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, where they choose to be vaccinated.

Providers can support residents in disability accommodation settings to access the recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses through the Commonwealth’s Vaccination Administration Provider Program. Both residents and staff can use in-reach (in-home) vaccination services.

If a Commonwealth vaccination provider has not already contacted your organisation, and participants need support to access their next COVID-19 dose, please submit an expression of interest online to the Department of Health and Aged Care. For more information or any enquiries please contact DisabilityCovidVaccineDelivery@Health.gov.au.

Providers should take all necessary steps to assist participants to access COVID-19 vaccinations, including information and support, where needed. Further information is available on the Department of Health and Aged Care website, including Easy Read and Auslan resources and a COVID-19 vaccination consent form in easy read format.

Further information

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines and to access resources, visit the COVID-19 vaccine information webpage.