UPDATE AS AT 08.01.2021 – GREATER BRISBANE PATIENTS | 9:00 am
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR GREATER BRISBANE PATIENTS
The Queensland Government has provided the below Public Health Direction for Greater Brisbane.
Please advise patient if they are in-cycle it is business as usual. We are considered an essential service and our clinics will remain open.
If you need to come to the clinic, please wear a face mask or we will have them available when you enter the hospital.
Please do not hesitate to contact your clinic direct if you require further guidance or call
1800 111 373.
Greater Brisbane 3-day lockdown
Greater Brisbane will go into lockdown for three days, while contact tracers work to ensure the UK strain of COVID-19 is not circulating in the community.
From 6pm tonight, Friday 8 January, until 6pm Monday 11 January people in the local government areas of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands and Logan will be required to stay at home except for the following reasons:
- Shopping for essentials, food and necessary supplies
- Medical or healthcare needs, including compassionate requirements
- Exercise with no more than one other person, unless all from the same household
- Providing care or assistance to an immediate family member
- Work, or volunteering, or study if it is not reasonably practicable to work or learn remotely
- Child custody arrangements
- Legal obligations
- Visit for end of life
- Attend funeral or wedding in line with restrictions
Masks will also need to be worn everywhere in those local government areas except if people are at home.
Cafes, pubs and restaurants will be open only for take-away service.
Funerals will be restricted to 20 guests and weddings restricted to 10 guests.
All essential businesses remain open. If you need to leave Greater Brisbane for an essential purpose, such as to work, to return home or to access healthcare, you should limit your movements for those three days wherever you go.
Get tested
If you have any symptoms at all, get tested immediately and quarantine at home until you receive a negative result.
List of restrictions
The full list of restrictions include:
- No more than two visitors to the household per day (in addition to anyone else currently staying in the household), excluding care workers or volunteers
- All businesses that can remain open must adhere to one person per 4 square metres with maximum of 20 to 50 with COVID Safe or Industry Plan
- Restaurants and cafes to provide takeaway service only
- Cinemas, entertainment and recreation venues, gyms etc to close
- Places of worship to close
- Weddings involve a maximum of 10 people, including the celebrant and witnesses
- Funerals involve a maximum of 20 people
- Mandatory mask wearing anywhere outside of your home
- No visitors to aged care facilities, hospitals, disability accommodation services or correctional facilities.
UPDATE AS AT 24.09.2020 – ALL PATIENTS | 4:00 pm
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PATIENTS
The Queensland Government has provided the below Public Health Direction for all of Queensland.
Effective 24 September 2020 – Travelers from previous hotspots
Anyone may enter Queensland from a place that is no longer a declared COVID-19 hotspot. You can enter Queensland even if you have been in a previously declared COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days. The Australian Capital Territory is planned to no longer be a hotspot from 1 am 25 September.
Effective from 1:00 am, 1 October 2020 – Border zone
Because of the reduced risk of COVID-19 transmission in northern New South Wales, the following changes have been made regarding the border zone:
- The New South Wales border zone (PDF) will be extended
- The Queensland border zone will no longer exist
- Queensland residents will be able to travel anywhere in the New South Wales border zone for any purpose
- New South Wales border zone residents will be able to travel anywhere in Queensland for any purpose.
For further information please visit the Queensland Government website
We thank you for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times and encourage you to get in touch with us should you have any questions or would like any further information. Please contact our friendly staff on 1800 111 373
We will continue to monitor all new updates and keep you informed.
UPDATE AS AT 26.08.2020 – ALL PATIENTS | 9:00 AM
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PATIENTS
We want to reassure you that all of our patients can commence or continue treatment at First Step Fertility.
What safety measures do we have in place to meet current COVID-19 requirements?
The safety and well-being of our patients and staff continues to be our main priority and we have and continue to take appropriate measures to address this. First Step Fertility’s protocols in place to mitigate unnecessary risk include (and are not limited to):
- All patients and essential support persons are required to wear masks on entering the clinic or hospital;
- All staff, patients and visitors are screened and have temperature monitoring prior to entering clinics;
- All staff, patients and visitors to the clinics are required to use hand sanitiser on entering the clinic, and staff – before and after contact with patients;
- All staff in public and patient-facing areas are required to wear masks;
- The implementation of social distancing measures wherever possible, except when carrying out essential medical procedures;
- Ensuring staff maintain high-infection control protocols including the thorough daily cleaning of all high-touch areas with high-grade disinfectant, including reception surfaces, door handles, and treatment areas.
Please be aware that there may be restrictions imposed on partners or support persons attending procedures in our clinics. This is to comply with the COVID-19 safe workplace requirements. We encourage to contact your clinic for further guidance.
First Step Fertility is advising anyone who falls into the following categories, to delay their treatment at First Step Fertility for 14 days, if:
- you have any active flu-like symptoms;
- you have had direct contact with proven COVID-19 case or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days;
- if you are self-isolating or being tested for COVID-19.
If you think at any time that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, please phone your clinic who will help you make the necessary changes to your treatment.
Queensland border restrictions guidelines
In response to the current border restrictions announced by the Queensland Government on the 20th of August, First Step Fertility is providing the following advice:
Patients living in the “border zone” can commence or continue treatment at our Gold Coast clinic.
All persons who are given an exemption to come in from VIC ACT and NSW are subject to quarantine restrictions on entry to Queensland for 14 days. Please note this does not apply to people living in the “border zone” and does not prevent urgent care being delivered during these 14 days.
The exemption that allows our patients and visitors entry into QLD only allows entry. It does NOT exempt them from quarantine.
The exemptions that allow the residents of “the border zone” in northern NSW does not extend to travel to Brisbane. These residents are subject to quarantine if they travel outside the border zone in Southern QLD. Brisbane is outside this border zone.
Alternatively, First Step Fertility can offer you treatment in the state that you reside in one of our local clinics in QLD and NSW.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times and encourage you to get in touch with us should you have any questions or would like any further information. Please contact our friendly staff on 1800 111 373.
We will continue to monitor all new updates and keep you informed.
UPDATE AS AT 28.07.2020 | 9:00 am
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NSW PATIENTS
We want to reassure you that all of our NSW patients can commence or continue treatment at First Step Fertility.
NSW Health has announced all health workers caring/working within 1.5m of any patient are required to wear masks.
First Step Fertility is advising anyone who falls into the following categories, to delay their treatment at First Step Fertility for 14 days, if:
- you have any active flu-like symptoms;
- you have had direct contact with proven COVID-19 case or have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days;
- if you are self-isolating or being tested for COVID-19.
If you think at any time that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, please phone your clinic who will help you make the necessary changes to your treatment.
What safety measures do we have in place?
The safety and well-being of our patients and staff continues to be our main priority and we have and continue to take appropriate measures to address this. First Step Fertility’s protocols in place to mitigate unnecessary risk include (and are not limited to):
- All patients and essential support persons are required to wear masks on entering the clinic;
- All staff, patients and visitors are screened and have temperature monitoring prior to entering clinics;
- All staff, patients and visitors to the clinics are required to use hand sanitiser on entering the clinic, and staff – before and after contact with patients;
- All staff in public and patient-facing areas are required to wear masks;
- The implementation of social distancing measures wherever possible, except when carrying out essential medical procedures;
- Ensuring staff maintain high-infection control protocols including the thorough daily cleaning of all high-touch areas with high-grade disinfectant, including reception surfaces, door handles, and treatment areas.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times and encourage you to get in touch with us should you have any questions or would like any further information. Please contact our friendly staff on 1800 111 373.
We will continue to monitor all new updates and keep you informed.