Community Sector Partnership Team – Updates

WA has now moved to ‘baseline’ settings of public health and social measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

Masks are only required for people aged 12 years and older in the following settings:

  • Hospitals and health care settings.
  • Aged care facilities, residential care facilities including disability service facilities and mental health residential facilities.
  • Public and passenger transport, including taxis and rideshare vehicles, tour buses and school buses.
  • Correctional facilities.

In addition, masks are strongly encouraged where physical distancing is not possible.

Mask Wearing

People may choose to continue wearing a mask in public and work settings for a number of reasons including:

  • Masks reduce the chance of getting COVID.
  • Masks reduce the chance of spreading COVID – infected people may be asymptomatic and not know they are infected.
  • Wearing a mask protects others, including those at risk of severe COVID including people with disability, chronic illnesses and suppressed immune systems.
  • The risk of COVID transmission is greatest when indoors for prolonged periods without adequate airflow.

People are encouraged to:

  • Practise good personal hygiene – wash hands often with soap and water, or hand sanitiser, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow.
  • Practise physical distancing – keep at least 1.5 metres or two arms lengths from each other
  • Stay home if unwell.

If you return a positive RAT, you are still required to register it with the Department of Health.

Positive cases must still isolate for seven days. Symptomatic close contacts need to isolate until symptoms are resolved.

Asymptomatic close contacts do not have to isolate for seven days, but must take a RAT each day they leave isolation, wear a mask outside the home, and avoid high-risk settings.

Sector Partnerships is exploring a presentation on infection control for the sector. We will provide more information in the near future.

Contact

Please feel free to contact the Sector Partnerships team via email if you have any additional questions or require assistance or information.

Regards,
Sector Partnerships Team.