CEB Staff Newsletter #27 - 22 Aug 2021

COVID Updates for CEB Staff

Following Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement, Regional Victoria again went into lockdown at 1pm yesterday, Saturday 21 August.

Authorised Worker Permits Required for On-Site Work

The Victorian Chief Health Officer has introduced new rules around permits for regional Victoria. 

Authorised Worker Permits will be required for any on-site work from 11.59pm, Monday 23 August.

This applies to CEB staff for any school visits, or visits to the office of any duration (including incidentals such as using the printer or picking up work items). 

Authorised Worker Permit Process for CEB Staff

Any CEB staff member needing to carry out essential work either in a school or the office needs to:

1. Liaise with your Team Leader to determine whether the visit is essential.
2. If the visit is deemed essential, fill in an Authorised Worker Permit form (*updated to new version on 3 September 2021). Note that this version is a pre-filled Word document for CEB staff to use (see further details on the Coronavirus Victoria website).
3. Your Team Leader emails the form to Tom Sexton requesting authorisation.
4. You should carry a copy of your Authorised Worker Permit when you travel to and from the office/school (note that failure to produce your permit may incur a $1,817.40 infringement).

Working On-Site

If you can work from home, you must work from home until Thursday 2 September (inclusive) or until otherwise advised. If there is an essential reason to visit the office, please refer to the Authorised Worker Permit information above before proceeding.

Working in Schools

We request that staff minimise school contact during this lockdown period, supporting schools remotely where needed. If there is an essential reason to visit a school, please refer to the Authorised Worker Permit information above before proceeding.

Please also continue to refer to our Executive Director’s COVID Updates for updates about schools.

Facemasks

A reminder that facemasks remain mandatory for indoor and outdoor settings anywhere other than your home (unless an exemption applies).

Updated Table of Restrictions and Authorised Worker List

The updated Table of Restrictions and Authorised Worker List is available to download. 

Staff COVID Vaccinations

DOBCEL strongly encourages all eligible staff to receive their COVID vaccinations as soon as practicable.

Operating hours have been extended for some vaccination centres to better meet demand and access. We want to ensure that staff have the opportunity to receive a COVID vaccination and we recognise that some staff may have difficulty booking a vaccination appointment outside of work hours. Where this is the case, staff are welcome to make bookings during work times, as long as it does not impact on work commitments. 

Any leave required subsequent to a vaccination for an adverse reaction is to be taken as paid personal leave.  

Reminder – Wellbeing Seminars and Webinars

A reminder that our Converge International seminar series continues. These one-hour seminars provide different insights and strategies for supporting our own and others’ wellbeing.

Each recording will be available for 30 days following the seminar. Recordings of past sessions and handouts are available here.

For more information on the webinar series, don’t hesitate to contact Ange Jones via email or on 0400 831 040.