Page 4027 - Week 13 - Thursday, 2 December 2021
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It is likely that further cases will be identified in schools until such time as children under 12 years of age become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. While we understand that school communities are concerned about the identification of new cases in schools, the ACT government remains committed to supporting the delivery of COVID-safe face-to-face learning, and health officials will continue to provide the necessary guidance and support for schools to reduce the risk of transmission among students and staff.
The ACT Health Directorate and the Education Directorate are working with officials in New South Wales and Victoria to understand how their respective rapid antigen testing trials in schools are progressing and pivoting to changing public health requirements. As I have informed members previously, the government is closely observing these interstate trials to inform consideration of an ACT rapid antigen testing pilot in time for term one of 2022.
Madam Speaker, tomorrow is the International Day of People with Disability, and I would like to briefly reflect on the efforts undertaken throughout the ACT’s COVID-19 response to support people in our community with disability as well as their families and carers. Since the start of the pandemic, ACT Health has worked closely and collaboratively with all stakeholders in the disability sector to address and manage the specific challenges faced by people with disability, their carers and support workers, and the sector more generally.
ACT Health Directorate’s communications have become much clearer and more consistent, benefiting from co-design with key sector partners and the coordinating efforts of the Public Information Coordination Centre. Regular incremental improvements have also been made to the content on the COVID-19 website. Since the start of the recent local outbreak, the ACT Health Directorate has led outbreak responses for 14 different disability providers and supported numerous other providers where cases were identified but where the risk did not indicate the need for an enhanced public health response.
ACT Health has worked closely with organisations and government stakeholders to provide detailed public health advice and training, alternative accommodation for people with disability when required, logistical support with food and personal protective equipment, specific nuanced communication to support the needs of residents, support with workforce surge and linkage with various ACT and commonwealth government agencies to ensure continuing support.
Perhaps most critically, the ACT has demonstrated its commitment to inclusion by leading the nation in its vaccination of people with disability as we have consistently performed above the national average when it comes to ensuring that people living with disability are able and supported to access COVID-19 vaccination. The government will continue to support people with disability, their families and carers, and the disability sector, as our public health response continues. I wish everyone a happy I-Day tomorrow. I will speak very briefly on Minister Davidson’s subsequent statement.
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