GEIFN | CONSOLIDATED | Information on Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Wednesday 27 May 2020

[Edited and collated from public addresses]

Topics

1. Victorian State of Emergency Update
2. Victorian Stage Three restrictions remain in place with further revisions
3. Victorian Five Reasons To Leave Home translated resources
4. Victorian Staying Apart Keeps Us Together campaign
5. Victorian schools set for 'gradual, staged return' during Term 2
6. Victorian Kinders Cleaning Grants 
7. Victorian Hospitality-based businesses
8. Victorian Gyms and Ski fields
9. Victorian Business Support Fund
10. Health translations — May update
11. Federal Government 3 Step Roadmap to a COVIDSafe Australia
12. Federal Government COVID-19 Pandemic event visa now available
13. Happy Scrubs | FREE personal protective equipment (PPE or scrubs) for healthcare workers in Australia
14. Melbourne City Council | Food Vouchers for International Students
15. City of Port Phillip | Arts Response Grants
16. Justice Connect | National Volunteer Guide
17. UQ | SURVEYING | Understanding the social impacts of COVID-19
18. AIFS | SURVEYING | Families in Australia: Life during COVID-19
19. Acknowledgment to Sources
20. Self-Isolators, Non-Essentials And The Homebound

1. Victorian State of Emergency Update

Now until midnight Sunday 31 May 2020

Premier Daniel Andrews announced on 12 May 2020 that the State of Emergency is extended until at least midnight 31 May 2020.
The month-long extension will ensure the Government can continue its strict enforcement of physical distancing, isolation and other vital directions put in place by the Chief Health Officer to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Read the full announcement from Premier Daniel Andrews here.

Staggered restrictions lifted from 1 June 2020

Premier Daniel Andrews announced on 24 May 2020 that advice for Victorians has remained the same: “stay home”.

In line with the Tuesday 26 May return to face-to-face learning in school, outdoor playgrounds, skateparks and outdoor communal gym equipment will reopen.

Now, as we begin to settle into a new normal, Victorian Government's message is “stay safe”.  In all your activities, be considered. Be cautious. Use your common sense. And if you don’t have to do it – don’t.
Read the full announcement from Premier Daniel Andrews here.

2. Victorian Stage Three restrictions remain in place with further revisions

Now until midnight Sunday 31 May 2020

The essential message has not changed: if you can stay at home – you must stay at home.

There are now five reasons you can leave home:

• Visiting family or friends (no more than five visitors in one home).
• To get medical assistance or give medical care to a loved one.
• For exercise.
• To get essential supplies like food.
• Attend work or education if you can't from home.

Of particular relevance is a small relaxing around group assembly (Weddings, Funerals, Outdoor Group Activity).

• weddings will now be able to have 10 guests and up to 20 people will be able to attend funerals held indoors and up to 30 if they’re outdoors.
• More of the outdoor recreational activities that so many Victorians have been missing will also be allowed: walking groups, fishing, hiking and golf.
• Places of Worship will be able to hold religious ceremonies and services with up to 10 people present in addition to the Minister of Religion(s) from 11.59pm Tuesday 12 May 2020.

More

Staggered restrictions lifted from 1 June 2020

Announced by the Premier Sunday 24 May, further revisions will come into effect from 1 June:

• Gatherings at private homes can now be up to 20 people, including the members of a household. For a family of five, that means 15 visitors.
• Public gatherings (indoor and outdoor) will increase to 20 people.
• Cafes, restaurants and pubs may serve meals to up to 20 people.
• Overnight stays will be allowed in both private residences and hotels.
• Campgrounds, caravan parks and tourist accommodation allowed to reopen, as long as shared bathroom and kitchen facilities are not used.
• Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas, tattoo parlours and massage parlours may reopen with up to 20 patrons.
• Galleries, museums, zoos, historic sites, arcades, drive-in cinemas and outdoor amusement parks will reopen with up to 20 patrons per space.
• Weddings will be allowed up to 20 people, plus the celebrant and couple.
• Funerals can increase to 50 people (indoors and outdoors).
• Religious services may increase to up to 20 people, plus those required to conduct the ceremony.
• Bootcamps can increase to 20 people, plus an instructor.
• Auction houses, real estate auctions and open house inspections can increase to 20 people.
• Libraries, youth centres and other community facilities allowed to reopen with no more than 20 people in a single area, plus those needed to operate the space.
• These activities will be subject to physical distancing to help keep people safe and organisers are required to make, document and keep a list of date of attendance, individual participants with contact details (should it be needed for post-event contract tracing). 

3. Victorian Five Reasons To Leave Home translated resources

Some restrictions have been cautiously eased in Victoria to allow people to look after their own, and other’s health, wellbeing and social connection. Translated resources are available to share with your community, outlining the changes to the restrictions in a range of languages.
Download the social media assets

4. Victorian Staying Apart Keeps Us Together campaign

The Staying Apart Keeps Us Together multilingual campaign thanks Victorians for their commitment to staying home, and demonstrates how the state has remained a community through video calls and supporting neighbours and vulnerable people.
Download campaign assets

5. Victorian schools set for 'gradual, staged return' during Term 2

State Government

• Early Learning/Kinders: Announced 8 May 2020. The Victorian Government  is making extra resources available to kindergartens to help children learning at home during the coronavirus pandemic. An announced $900,000 in grants for new programs and extra staffing at kinders not yet receiving funding through the $160 million School Readiness Funding initiative. The package will enable kinders to access to the Goodstart@home online platform – which contains high-quality play-based learning activities for parents to do with their children at home – as well as free professional learning webinars for early childhood staff to help deliver programs remotely. More
• Junior Primary: Announced 12 May 2020. From Tuesday 26 May, all Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students, specialist school students, as well as VCE and VCAL students will return to on-site learning at government schools.  The next fortnight, and a pupil free day at all schools on 25 May, will give staff, schools and families time to prepare for the change.
• Vulnerable students in years 3 to 10, and children in those years whose parents or carers cannot work from home, can continue to attend school on-site as needed during this period.
• Primary and Secondary: Students in the broader year 3 to 10 cohort will continue to learn remotely until Tuesday 9 June, to give the Government and the Chief Health Officer time to monitor and evaluate the effects that the return to school by other year levels has on the increased movement of people and transmission within the community.
• All: to minimise infection while operating: staggered drop offs, breaks, assemblies, physical distancing for adults and increased cleaning regimes
• The Department of Education and Training has information for parents on the staged return to on-site schooling available in a range of community languages. 

More

Non-Government, Independent and National

• FYI: Non-Government and independent schools operate autonomously outside scope of the State Government and within Federal Government jurisdiction
• Victorian non-government schools can sign up to Federal Government offer of a 25 per cent advance on Commonwealth funding, in exchange for committing to return to classes by the end of May.
• Some independent schools have already committed to returning this month.
• Those with children at Non-Government or Independent Schools should await advice from their specific school on what their response looks like for their child or children, parents, teachers and staff

6. Victorian Kinders Cleaning Grants

The Victorian Government announced 17 May 2020 it will provide $900 grants for kindergarten services with less than 50 enrolments and $1,500 for those with 50 or more enrolments.
These grants will help with the costs of high standards of cleaning and hygiene, consistent with the Australian Health Principal Practitioners Committee guidance.
Service providers will have flexibility in how to use this funding as long as it is spent on meeting cleaning and hygiene requirements for their kindergarten program.
This includes paying for additional hours of cleaning and buying hygiene products, such as hand sanitiser and soap.
Read full announcement

7. Victorian Hospitality-based businesses 

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews announced 17 May 2020 that subject to both Victorians continuing to get tested if only showing mild symptoms and low numbers of positive cases in the State, that he is proposing to ease restrictions for the hospitality industry. Following the advice of the Chief Health Officer, these cautious next steps are:

• From 1 June: cafes, restaurants and pubs will be able to reopen their doors to serve meals to up to 20 customers at a time per enclosed space.
• From 22 June: this could increase to up to 50 patrons.
• During the second half of July: up to 100.

Patrons dining in must give their names, mobile numbers and addresses as a condition of entry, to help contact tracing in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak at the venue.

Tables will need to be 1.5 metres apart, and businesses must abide by physical distancing requirements of one person per four square metres.

Bars and pubs that serve only drinks will not be allowed to reopen. Similarly, the public bar area of a pub must stay closed. Gaming areas and food courts will remain closed throughout June.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews advised "This is not a done deal. These timelines will depend on how we’re tracking. And just as we’ve used evidence to inform our decisions the whole way through this – these next steps will be no different. If, in the coming weeks, we see a sudden upswing in community exposures from an unknown source – we may have to make the call to delay."
Read Premier's full statement

8. Victorian Gyms and Ski fields

• If community transmission rates continue to remain low and testing rates continue to remain high, Gyms as well as Victoria's ski fields may be allowed to reopen from 22 June
• These activities will be subject to physical distancing to help keep people safe and organisers are required to make, document and keep a list of date of attendance, individual participants with contact details (should it be needed for post-event contract tracing). 

9. Victorian Business Support Fund

The Victorian Government's Business Support Fund provides one-off grants of $10,000 to eligible businesses. This pack provides links to translated materials including a factsheet and social media content in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi and Vietnamese. If an interpreter is needed, call Business Victoria on 13 22 15. Applications close on Monday 1 June 2020
More

10. Health translations — May update

The May Health Translations newsletter includes links to new translated resources focusing on family violence, Victoria's return to school plan, the influenza vaccination, legal issues, telehealth, Centrelink services and other ‘hot’ topics related to COVID-19.

11. Federal Government 3 Step Roadmap to a COVIDSafe Australia

The Australian Prime Minister announced Friday 8 May 2020 a 3 Step framework, emphasising that it is up to the States and Territories to implement these steps as they see fit, as is appropriate to their individual circumstances.

The Prime Minister indicated, broadly, that he hoped that all States and Territories would be able to work through these phases so that the economy can restart in July 2020. Outbreaks of COVID-19 in the community are to be expected and that not everything will go to plan.
More

Click here for National 3 Step framework graphic and supporting documents, noting it is up to the Victorian Government to manage and implement as it sees appropriate within the context of local circumstances.

12. Federal Government COVID-19 Pandemic event visa now available

The Australian Government Endorsed Event (AGEE) stream (COVID-19 Pandemic event) of the Temporary Activity (sc 408) visa is being utilised as a temporary measure to provide a visa option for those working in critical sectors or who are unable to depart Australia.

Available to people who are:

• are unable to depart Australia due to COVID-19
• have 28 days or less remaining on their current visa or where their last temporary visa has expired less than 28 days ago
• are not eligible for any other visa based on their intended activities or
• have evidence from their employer that they have ongoing work in a critical sector and that an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident cannot fill the position.

Who can apply:

• Working holiday makers working in critical sectors who are not eligible for any other visa and are unable to return to their home country.
• Seasonal Worker Programme visa holders with visas due to expire within 28 days.
• Other temporary visa holders whose visas are about to expire, have no other visa options, are unable to return to their home country and who are working in critical sectors. Evidence of this work needs to be submitted with the application.
• Other temporary visa holders may apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic event visa only where there is no other visa option and it is not possible to leave Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will allow them to remain lawfully in Australia until it is safe and practical to return to their home country.

Length of Stay

• If you are employed in a critical sector such as agriculture, food processing, health care, aged care, disability care, and childcare you may be granted a visa that allows you to stay for up to 12 months.
• If you have been in Australia under the Seasonal Worker Program or Pacific Labour Scheme and are continuing your work in agriculture or another critical sector you may be granted a visa allowing you to stay for up to 12 months.
• If you are not working in a critical sector, you may be granted a visa that allows you to stay for up to six months to ensure you remain lawful while you are unable to travel home from Australia.

More from Department of Home Affairs

13. Happy Scrubs | FREE personal protective equipment (PPE or scrubs) for healthcare workers in Australia

Healthcare workers on the frontline are in desperate need for scrubs for the coming weeks and months as they battle the Pandemic. Melbourne-based community led initiative linked up local sewers and fabric suppliers to create scrubs that are essential to go into battle for us.
If a medico and in need, order your scrubs here or if in surplus and wish to donate

14. Melbourne City Council | Food Vouchers for International Students

Monday 18 May, Melbourne City Council announced it was making available coupons of up to $200 to international students for groceries at the Queen Victoria Market. Students can apply for the vouchers on the City of Melbourne website, and then picked up from Melbourne Town Hall from Tuesday.
Full announcement

15. City of Port Phillip | Arts Response Grants

Three streams of small quick response grants have been developed by the City of Port Phillip to support local artists, cultural organisations, and creative groups dealing with the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Applicants can apply for up to and between $4,000 and $8,000 depending on the stream and criteria.

Applications to each stream will close at 12 midnight Monday 8 June 2020.
Applicants will be notified of the outcomes in July 2020. More

16. Justice Connect | National Volunteer Guide

As part of National Volunteer Week, Not-for-profit Law has released an updated National Volunteer Guide which provides useful information on the key legal obligations to volunteers and provides practical examples, template documents and tips to assist volunteer-involving organisations. More

17. UQ | SURVEYING | Understanding the social impacts of COVID-19

Researchers at The University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research is conducting a survey that focuses on the impacts that COVID-19 have had on individuals’ work and family situations, and how these situations have evolved and changed since the outbreak of the virus.

This survey will be important in helping to understand more about how people are managing and coping with this pandemic and will help direct resources and policies to where they are needed the most. More

18. AIFS | SURVEYING | Families in Australia: Life during COVID-19

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) are the Federal Government’s key research body about family wellbeing. AIFS is now conducting a widespread survey, Families in Australia: Life during COVID-19, to find out what the pandemic has meant for people’s everyday lives and relationships.

AIFS want to find out how people are coping, and if they're getting the supports they need. Survey insights will be shared with the general public, government and non-government agencies, to help them serve families better.

Only AIFS researchers will have access to the data, which will be de-identified. Nothing confidential will be shared.
Do the approx 20min survey

19. Acknowledgment to Sources

This is a consolidated account of information current at time of issuance, sourced, collated and provided by Victorian Jewish Community COVID-19 Taskforce, Buddhist Council of Victoria, various Government Authorities, community organisations and public domain, received with gratitude.

Best wishes for skilful collaborations, less Suffering, causes for less Suffering, Good Health and Time to Enjoy it.

Bye bye to Essentialists for now, please leave to attend to the essential work. That is all from GEIFN caretaker at this time.

20. Self-Isolators, Non-Essentials And The Homebound

Let us cheer on the global scientists, medical fraternity and authorities racing across the clock separately and together in new found ways, to find a cure, manage the situation, and if not, create mass-producable innoculation.

Meanwhile, if with a surplus of time, this is offered. Discuss with sincerity. Deny untruth. Dismiss unuseful. Accept useful. Adapt to change. Adopt least effort most benefit. Adept with sharing. Enjoy throughout. As each case may be. Round. And again. Or not.