The head of WA's nursing union has again called on the state government to delay opening the border after what he said had been confusing advice given to health staff who recently came into contact with a COVID-positive patient.
On Wednesday, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson revealed a dozen staff members at a Perth hospital were in isolation after coming into contact with a man infected with COVID-19.
Ms Sanderson said the man in his 60s had attended Fiona Stanley Hospital's emergency department on Monday night while unwell, with about 12 staff identified as close contacts.
Under current protocols, the staff would be required to isolate for 14 days, but Ms Sanderson yesterday said they would be assessed on a case-by-case basis to see if they could return to work earlier, provided they tested negative for the virus.
Union says staff given 'conflicting advice'
However, Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Mark Olson said the staff members had, since Monday, received a range of conflicting advice.
"Staff were initially contacted by the Fiona Stanley infection prevention team advising they were moderate contacts and they would need to isolate for two days, receive a test on day two and, if negative, return back to work," he said.
"Following this, they received no less than four phone calls from WA Health, all with different instructions on each phone call.
In the last call it was decided a PCR test was required immediately and the workers had to isolate until the results of that swab were returned, Mr Olson said.
He said after these phone discussions, the staff members had been determined to be casual contacts.
Change from casual to close contact with no explanation
But Mr Olson said that advice changed again, with no explanation provided.
"Following their negative swab results, which were returned yesterday, they then received another phone call from WA Health that they would now need to isolate for 14 days," Mr Olson said.
"It was now determined they were close contacts.
"WA Health were not able to explain to the staff why they had been re-categorised from casual contact to close contact.
"Nobody's been able to explain that to them even though they were wearing full PPE in that area in accordance with the instructions."
Mr Olson said the staff had now been told they had to isolate in their home for 14 days and were not allowed to leave their homes but were allowed to return to work on day eight in full PPE.
Olson says confusion proof WA 'not ready to open'
Mr Olson said he believed the lack of clarity, along with changing advice around this situation, was proof the state was a long way from being ready to open.
"We are two years into the pandemic, we are two weeks away from the border opening and we still don't have clear guidelines coming from the health department," he said.
"If this is what happens with just one COVID patient, just one COVID patient, what is going to happen when we open up the borders and we have hundreds, if not thousands, of new cases every day?
Mr Olson also repeated a previous request for N95 masks to be provided in preparation for the border reopening, a request he said he would put in writing to the Health Minister following his press conference.
"I think we've reached the point where any staff who are likely to be interacting with a potentially COVID-positive patient need to be issued with N95 masks," he said.
"Staff should also be supplied with a number of N95 masks in preparation for the border opening.
"It seems like a sensible thing to provide staff with a couple of N95 masks so when they go about their business in the community they are less likely to be contracting COVID from the general public."
The health department has been contacted for a response.
