The ACT Government has joined NSW, Victoria and the NT in mandating a COVID-19 vaccination for disability support, in-home and community aged care workers.
The Federal Government mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for residential care workers in June – with first doses to be completed by 17 September – but has not taken the same approach for home care workers – despite the risk of COVID-19 infection for home care recipients and staff.
In the ACT, the mandate applies to employees in the in-home and community aged care sector if they deliver home care services for the aged-care sector or Commonwealth, state or territory governments are required to have had a first COVID-19 vaccine dose by 1 November and be fully vaccinated by 29 November under a new public order.
The mandate also applies to workers engaged by a registered NDIS provider or state or territory government to assist people with disability with daily life tasks and personal activities, group and centre-based activities or that provide support to clients who work at a social enterprise business.
ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith (pictured above) said while Canberra had a high vaccine rate, Commonwealth data indicated the fully vaccinated rate showed only 79.4% of NDIS-screened workers were fully vaccinated.
On 2 November, 78.1% of Australians have been fully vaccinated.
