News | 02 June

4.00pm – Wednesday, 2 June 2021.

To: CCF Victoria staff, members and industry stakeholders.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update – From the CEO desk.

There were 6 new positive cases reported in Victoria yesterday – bringing this today from the current outbreak to 60, with 67 active cases. There are 364 public exposure sites listed on the website and I urge you to look at these on a daily basis to communicate to your workforce.

This afternoon the Acting Premier announced that on the advice of Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton, current restrictions will remain in place in Melbourne for a further seven days, with some small changes.

With no community transmission in regional Victoria this week, regional restrictions are proposed to begin easing from 11:59pm tomorrow night. Based on Government briefing sessions I attended this afternoon, the next 24 hours will be used to continue tracing and testing and confirm that this change can go ahead.

Please see the Acting Premier’s statement, which includes an updated summary table of restrictions and a list of authorised providers and workers:  https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/statement-acting-premier-2

The Acting Premier has also announced the expansion of the recently announced business support package. For further details please go to: https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/support-extended-victorian-businesses noting that construction has been excluded from this business support package given continued operation as an Authorised Provider and Authorised Worker.

Also please remember that workers who need to get tested and isolate while waiting for results, or workers who are required to isolate because they test positive, or have been directed to isolate by the Department of Health because they are a close contact, may be entitled to support payments. For more information please go to:

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/450-coronavirus-covid-19-test-isolation-payment

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/pandemic-leave-disaster-payment-victoria/who-can-get-it

The following advice has been received from the Department of Health (DH) dedicated to managing the outbreak in our industry:

  1. You must follow any instruction which may be given to you by DH.  Close contacts will be advised during their interview by DH if their workplace secondary close contacts will need to quarantine;
  2. If you have been working in close contact with a fellow worker who has been directed to isolate or quarantine, or if you have any concerns about your proximity to that worker and you have any symptoms, even mild – get tested and isolate until you have a negative result while awaiting further advice;
  3. So far as the worksite is concerned, they are not recommending additional or deep cleaning as this is not the exposure site;
  4. If the workplace is concerned or uncertain, they can contact COVIDemployernotifications@dhhs.vic.gov.au and request advice – please ensure your email is clear that it is regarding a close contact that attended the workplace.

The messaging this afternoon from Government engagement and briefing sessions conducted was clear:

  • While Greater Melbourne restrictions have been extended by a further 7 days, construction is “open” with outdoor works (including civil construction) able to be undertaken with COVIDSafe Plans and worker precautions in place;
  • Construction works in the regions is fine, with freedom of movement with COVIDSafe Plans and worker precautions in place;

I would encourage you to ensure that your screening and entry declaration systems are operational and that workers who have been at public exposure sites DO NOT enter sites. Also have your contract tracing systems, preferably electronic and contactless, operational and ready to respond at short notice to the Department of Health (DH) contact tracers, should that be necessary.

As yet, it’s great to report that no construction site is yet to be listed as a Public Exposure site and we want to keep it that way.  Many construction workers have now been identified by the Department of Health as having been at a public exposure site and following the appropriate instructions. The list of these sites can be found here: – https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-site It might be useful to identify the locations near your sites on a regular basis and communicate these to the workforce via the usual means.

Remember, the Building & Construction Industry Guidelines version 12 and the Gold Standard checklist based on these guidelines means that you have done all that is possible and recommended to keep the virus out.  Our industry continues to be rewarded for its discipline and observance of the Industry COVID-19 Guidelines by being allowed to continue to operate at full capacity and now further provision has been allowed for outdoor work in the residential sector from Friday.

Until my next update …. keep well – keep safe.

Kind regards

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