- Victoria Police will be cracking down on Isolation Breaches.
- Those who test positive to COVID19 are prohibited from exercising outside their home.
- Those who test positive, are awaiting results or are notified close contacts of positive COVID19 cases will be monitored for compliance with stay at home public health orders.
- Essential workers, who cannot work from home, must carry a permit with them. Download the official work-permit form here.
- The Federal Government has announced support for parents and the Victorian childcare sector.
- Essential workers who are unable to care for their children at home, will be require a childcare permit. Download the official childcare permit form here
- The new Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment for those who have exhausted their sick leave in Victoria is available from today. Simply call 180 22 66 to apply.
Common abbreviations:
ADF: Australian Defence Force
DHHS: Department of Health and Human Services
New Crackdown on those flouting Isolation directions
Effectively immediately, a new infringement offence for a breach of the Victorian Chief Health Officer directions will be introduced to target those people who are failing to self-isolate after testing positive to coronavirus or being identified as a close contact.
A fine of $4,957 can be issued to a person who is found to breach the requirement to be self-isolating for a second or subsequent time – the highest on the spot infringement Victoria Police can issue to a person.
Tested positive to COVID19?
You cannot leave your home to exercise.
People who have tested positive or are close contacts will no longer be able to leave their homes for exercise. A limited number of reasons to leave the home will remain - including seeking medical care, in an emergency, or if required by law.
Additional monitoring of positive COVID19 cases and their notified close contacts by Police, DHHS and ADF members
To ensure all Victorians are following the Chief Health Officer's directions, there will be an additional 250 sworn Police officers joining Operation Sentinel – bringing it to a team of 750 Victoria Police officers, as well as general duties officers - who are checking those who should be insolation - are in isolation.
They will be assisted by the expansion of Operation Vestige, which sees ADF personnel and DHHS authorised officers making in person visits to the homes of people who have tested positive or are close contacts to ensure they are self-isolating. The teams also ensure people understand the requirements for isolation and that they have what they need including connections to support services if required.
More than 500 ADF personnel and 300 authorised officers will join the teams already on the ground and see the operation scale up to 4,000 household visits every day from next week.
Any persons not at home or confirmed as non-compliant through door knocking are prioritised for compliance checks. Where non-compliance is confirmed, infringements are issued.
Victoria Police has undertaken over 6000 spot checks in the past 24 hours at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state and issued 161 fines as part of Operation Sentinel – including 60 for failing to wear a mask.
If Police, the ADF or DHHS knock on your door and you're not able to prove you were out for the right reasons, you will be fined.
Essential Workers require a Permit to leave home
With new restrictions on business and industry coming into force from midnight Wednesday 5/8, employees working in permitted industries who cannot work from home will be required to carry a new ‘Worker Permit’ when travelling to and from work.
The definition of 'essential worker' has been prescribed in the Chief Health Officer's Public Health Orders.
ALL workplaces in Melbourne must be closed unless:
- the workplace is part of a permitted activity, or
- all employees are working from home.
From 11:59pm on Wednesday 5 August, employers that require their staff to attend a work site must issue a worker permit to their employees – this is the employer’s responsibility.
Penalties of up to $19,826 (for individuals) and $99,132 (for businesses) will apply to employers who issue worker permits to employees who do not meet the requirements of the worker permit scheme or who otherwise breach the scheme requirements.
If you do not work in a permitted workplaces or industry - and have not been issued with a work permit by your employer, you must remain home
Some people will be able to show their workplace IDs to police to confirm why they're out, especially if they've got a uniform that connects them to their workplace.
The permit system is NOT a license for employers to grant people exemptions for non-essential work in non-essential workplaces. Police will be scrutinising the validity of the workers permits and issuing fines to individuals and employers found to be flouting the rules.
Work Permit Frequently Asked Questions
Can I issue work-permits to people so we can have a service at a Religious Place of Worship, private residence or other place.
No.
Will Schools/Childcare centres need to issue work-permits to all teachers and essential staff?
Yes.
I am not an essential worker but my children's school/childcare is still open. Can I still send them?
No.
My spouse is an essential worker but I am not. Can I still send the children to school?
No. If one adult is at home (including if they are working from home), the children must remain at home.
I am a single parent who is a permitted essential worker. Can I send my children to childcare or school?
Yes.
If you are a permitted worker, regardless of whether you are working in person or from home and you attest that there is no-one else in your household that can look after your children you will be able to send them to childcare and/or school.
My office/business is not essential. Can I give my employees permits to come and work?
No.
You must close your office/business and direct those who can work from home to do so.
Only one person works in the office (non-essential business), can they get a permit to attend work?
No. They must work from home.
Is a Religious Place of Worship office considered essential?
- Administrative staff should work from home.
- The only reasons a Religious Place of Worship office should be in use is (a) if its facilities are required to assist in the broadcast of a Religious Service; and (b) to ensure the continuance of essential services such as soup kitchens and foodbanks.
- Religious Place of Worship employees/volunteers involved in the broadcast of Religious services (no more than 5 people regardless of if they are an employee or volunteer) and those engaged to provide support services will need work-permits.
- The Shule will also need a COVIDSafe Work Plan.
My business sells goods of importance to the community, but not food or grocery items. Can we still open?
No.
You may operate however as a 'click-and-collect' business if permitted under the 'retail' section of the Stage 4 restrictions, whereby people place an order online and collect their goods in a no-contact, safe manner. You must have a COVIDSafe Work Plan for your business if you intend to operate in this manner.
What is a Permitted Workplace? Who are considered Permitted Employees for work-permits?
- The most common permitted services business include: supermarkets, grocery stores, pharmacies, post offices, news agencies, banks, bottle shops, take away food businesses and petrol stations.
- All emergency services, medical centres and healthcare workplaces are also considered permitted.
- All employees of the businesses and workplaces listed above are eligible for a work-permit. This would include bakers, shelf-stackers, doctors, bank tellers, take away food cooks and so on. Permitted workers are those that work in these essential jobs and who cannot work from home.
Support for Parents and the Victorian Childcare Sector
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has announced support for the Victorian childcare sector, aiming to keep services open and available for parents.
Parents will have an extra 30 days of allowable absences for their enrolled children.
"That means if you're not in a position to be able to send your child to care, you can use those absences, providers can waive the gap fee so there will be no cost to you for keeping your child enrolled while you can't access child care for the next 30 days," Mr Tehan said.
Mr Tehan said services would be incentivised to waive the gap fees for parents but centres could not be forced to do so.
Childcare providers in Melbourne will also receive extra top-up funding worth 5 per cent of their revenue. This is on top of a 25 per cent transition payment provided to services nationwide under the shift from the government's rescue package to the regular subsidy model.
An employment guarantee for staff at childcare providers will be maintained and there will also be support measures for outside school hours care in Melbourne.
Essential worker parents require a childcare permit
From Thursday 6 August, only the children of permitted workers and vulnerable kids will be able to access childcare and kinder.
For the purposes of childcare and kinder, a permitted worker can also include someone working from home.
There are two forms on the page at the button link below, you will need to choose the one most appropriate to your circumstances:
For workers who need to work onsite
The Permitted Worker Permit (including childcare) form includes an addendum for permitted workers who are still required to attend work onsite and who don’t have anyone else in the household who can supervise their children.
For workers working from home
The Access to Childcare and Kinder (Working from Home) form is for permitted workers who are working from home and are unable to supervise their children in the course of their duties and who don’t have anyone else in the household who can supervise them.
Escaping harm - even during curfew hours is OK
- Community leaders dealing with matters of family and domestic violence need to be aware that those escaping harm can do so even during the curfew hours of 8pm-5am.
- Anyone can leave their home at anytime to escape family or domestic violence.
- Contact the Victorian Family Violence Response Centre Safe Steps 24/7 on 1800 015 188; Email: safesteps@safesteps.org.au or website https://www.safesteps.org.au
- If someone is in immediate danger call 000.
Feeling Sick Assume You Are Infectious:
Current Victorian Restrictions
MORE:
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV)
Address: Beth Weizmann Community Centre, 306 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield South, VIC 3162, Australia
Tel: +61 3 9272 5566
An Update by the Victorian Jewish Community Taskforce
