An Altona North nursing home linked to a COVID-19 outbreak is the centre of a complaint about visitors not taking adequate precautions.
Opal Hobsons Bay in Rymill Court has 25 active cases out of a total 42 cases, the Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday.
Of those infected, 22 are residents, 13 are staff and seven are close contacts.
An Altona North resident, who asked not to be named, has complained to the DHHS that numerous visitors have been gathering without masks and talking through flywire windows. A DHHS spokeswoman confirmed the complaint had been referred to the Commonwealth Department of Health.
An Opal Hobsons Bay spokeswoman said the home had been in lockdown since September 6 and allowed “window of love“ visits through an external window.
The complainant told Star Weekly he had observed “a number of visitors attending this facility and talking to residents through open windows without observing distancing or mask-wearing regulations“.
“One of the photos I took via my iPhone … shows a nursing staff member walk right past a visitor at a window,“ he said.
“The visitor turns to the member, returns a greeting, then turns back to the window – all with the visitor’s face mask being worn on the chin, not covering the mouth and nose as required.
“I had been waiting for something like this as I would watch visitors daily talking to residents through open windows, covered only with flywire screens, and the visitors wore no face masks.
“Sometimes the same window would have multiple groups of people turn up during the day to speak to residents, plus these groups would sometimes be seen to go to other windows as well. Often the group of visitors would intermingle, again not wearing a protective mask.“
The Opal spokeswoman said the home had taken actions to address the complaint.
“We are working closely with the DHHS and have put in place additional safety measures for window visits including: visitors are required to check-in at the care home entrance where they are provided with a safety checklist for their visit; provision of high-quality N95 masks on arrival which we recommend are worn during the visit and provide greater protection than the regular masks Victorians are required to wear when outdoors; reminders both on arrival and via our daily phone calls with families that windows remain closed and spatial distancing must be practiced at all times during visits.
“These are extremely challenging times, especially for those whose loved ones are affected by COVID-19. We would like to thank the families of our residents, the local community and our health partners for their tireless contributions as we continue to balance safety and compassion in everything we do.”
