The Australian is reporting that families are “scrambling to rescue their loved ones” following the latest deaths and infections among staff.
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has said families of the 60 residents who were COVID-19-negative could apply to remove them from the home but the residents would be subject to a 14-day quarantine at a hospital ward or family home.
As we reported yesterday, Anglicare says alternative accommodation options for residents who have tested negative were being discussed with some families.
Media reports suggest a separate wing for residents who have tested negative has been established this week in the home.
But Health Minister Brad Hazzard says he won’t use his ministerial powers to remove residents, saying it is not in line with the advice he was receiving from NSW Health authorities, including Dr James Branley, the Head of Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at Nepean Hospital and the infectious disease expert assigned to manage the outbreak.
“He [the infectious disease expert] specifically advised me that under no circumstances should these people be removed unless it was done with their clinicians’ support... It is not a matter for the minister,” Mr Hazzard said.
You can find out more about Dr Branley’s advice in the next story.
