COVID-19 cases in Southern Highlands hold firm for second day

But don't be tempted to go away for Easter, or drop in and catch up on an old friend.

That is the latest message from the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice.

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Good news again. No rise in the Wingecarribee and our national curve is flattening.

A division spokesman Dr Vince Roche said that the numbers over the next two weeks would be really important.

"We will need to keep up our social distancing and hand washing for some months yet, until we have flushed out the asymptomatic cases with increased testing," he said.

"We are on track - due mostly to our social distancing - to avoid the type of increase being seen in the UK/Spain/France/Italy and especially the USA.

"So, stay at home if you are a non-essential worker and wash your hands with soap and water.

"Please consider if you want to put our community at risk by visiting the beach house - even if you have a good excuse like painting the deck or mowing the lawn - do the right thing.

"When we all stop moving around, the virus stops moving around."

The latest details from the division are as follows:

Registered Aged Care Facilities

All of our Registered Aged Care Facilities in the Highlands have confirmed that they remain closed to all visitors.

"This includes families, with the exception of emergencies and palliative care patients," Dr Roche said.

"All these nursing homes are putting measures in place to facilitate their residents talking with their families by phone, Skype, FaceTime etc to minimise the distress that isolation causes both residents and families.

"The old folk are starting to really miss the interaction with their families and visitors.

"In some facilities, the patients are being isolated in their own rooms for 14 days after being seen by a visiting doctors, so GPs are doing mas much of their care by phone, fax, Skype, Facetime, Zoom, etc as possible."

Flu Assessment Clinic

The Flu Assessment Clinic Hours of Business are:

The Flu Assessment Clinic continues to run smoothly.

Dr Roche said locals were reminded that only people who met the NSW Health Guidelines would be screened.

"Don't just rock up because you are anxious," he said.

"We recommend all people who feel that they need to be screened should talk to their GP by telephone first.

"People do not require a referral from their GP to attend the BDH Flu Assessment Clinic, but they prefer GP Clinics do the first line of triage.

"If someone feels that they need testing and do not meet the guidelines for testing, they or their doctor will need to talk to the local Public Health Unit in Liverpool.

"Screening criteria are changing - often day-by-day - and General Practices are trying to stay up to date with these changes that are inevitable as the epidemic progresses.

"As the epidemic progresses into the next phase - community transmission - GPs will need to do more testing for Covid19 to test the less-sick but symptomatic members of the public with respiratory symptoms."

The direct phone number for the flu clinic is 4861 0145 and enquiries will be answered during hours of operation only.

Advanced planning

Advanced planning continues to take place with Bowral Hospital, Southern Highlands Private Hospital, South West Sydney Public Health Unit and South West Sydney Local Health District, as well as with local doctors, aged care facilities, community health nurses, pharmacies and other health professionals.

Dr Roche said extensive plans were being put into place to try to keep non-infected people out of the hospital Emergency Department.

"We are formulating new models of care for people with medical, surgical, orthopaedic and minor trauma /injuries, and new models of care for people in Aged Care Homes who fall sick or are injured in falls," he said.

"Bowral Hospital is now allowing just one visitor per patient.

"All staff and visitors to the hospital are being screened for infection risk with a questionnaire and a temperature test as they enter the hospital."

NEW: Limit is one visitor per patients and the new restricted visiting hours are 10am-11am, and 4:30pm to 5:30pm. The only entrance to the hospital for staff and visitors is via the Milton Park Front Door.

Elective surgery has been cancelled at both the Bowral Hospital and the Private Hospital.

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