By working together, Western Australia has been very fortunate to continue to enjoy good community health and a buoyant economy, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
And we are all looking forward to being able to travel and have loved ones visit us, while continuing to be safe. WA will transition and ease border controls once a 90% double dose vaccination rate is achieved.
It is very pleasing to see that WA now has over 70% of its over 12 year old population fully vaccinated, with 80% expected well before Christmas.
Volunteering WA is strongly encouraging vaccination across the sector, to keep our volunteers and the community safe.
Community Care Services Sector
The WA State Government has now published the Community Care Services Worker Directions. These require everyone affected to have:
- A first vaccination by 1 December 2021 and
- A second vaccination by 31 December 2021.
These Directions seek to protect people of high risk of transmission or vulnerability and to avoid catastrophic risk to community safety. The full text of the Directions is available here.
Community-Care-Services-Worker-(Restrictions on Access)-Directions
Note that ‘ad hoc’ volunteers (providing services no more than once per week) are excluded.
Please find an example of a vaccination policy of Uniting WA, shared through the WACOSS network, that may be of assistance Uniting-WA-Policy-Mandatory-Vaccination-Nov-2021.
Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services
Last Friday, the WA State Government also published the Fire And Emergency Services Worker Directions. Active fire and emergency services volunteers are now included in the scope and are required to have:
- A first vaccination by 31 December 2021 and
- A second vaccination by 31 January 2022.
This is a change from the previous announcement and is intended to again ensure the safety of volunteers, career emergency services workers and the community.
Specifically included are volunteers from organisations such as Salvation Army, Country Women’s Association and any other not for profit organisations or community groups that provide welfare services in response to a fire or emergency incident.
The full text of the Directions is available here – Fire_and_Emergency_Services_Worker_(Restrictions_on_Access)_Directions
We know that volunteer involving organisations have been working hard to implement these changes and consider their unique circumstances. The WA State Government will provide more Directions shortly for other “occupations deemed critical to the ongoing delivery of business and function of the community” which will be required to be fully vaccinated by 31 January 2022.
