COVID-19

Hand hygiene is a general term referring to any action of cleaning the hands properly. Water by itself cannot directly remove substances such as fats and oils often present on soiled hands. Proper handwashing therefore requires the use of soaps or detergents to dissolve materials and facilitate their subsequent flushing with water.

This includes the use of a soap/solution (non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial) and water, or a waterless antimicrobial agent to the surface of the hands (e.g. alcohol‐based hand rub).

COVID virus particles can also enter through the tissue around the eyes, so this is why hand hygiene is important, as touching a contaminated surface and then your nose, mouth, or eyes can cause infection.

Hand hygiene is the single most effective action to reduce infections, including COVID‐19.

Artificial nails, chipped nail polish, or long natural nails can harbor microorganisms. Special care should be taken to ensure that space under nails and jewellery are properly cleaned when washing or sanitising hands. If wearing artificial or painted nails, ensure you wash thoroughly underneath the nails when performing hand hygiene.

Jewellery can inhibit your ability to perform correct hand hygiene, and wearing jewellery, particularly rings with stones can also be areas that can harbor pathogens.

Remove finger and wrist jewellery prior to hand washing. Wrist bands and wrist watches should be removed prior to hand washing.

Long sleeves need to be pulled up or folded up prior to hand washing and when conducting cleaning of potentially contaminated surfaces.

Chaffed and dry cracked hands can increase your risk of colonisation with potential pathogens.

Dermatitis can let microorganisms into the skin if the skin is damaged. The damaged skin can also transmit infection so it is necessary to get appropriate treatment and protect your skin as per a health professional’s advice.

you need to clean your hands:

• Before eating;
• Before and after having direct contact with a person’s skin (touching a person);
• After contact with mucus, saliva, blood, body fluids or excretions, mucous membranes, non‐intact skin (blowing your nose, putting a bandaid on your own or another person’s cut);
• After contact with objects and surfaces (including equipment) in the immediate vicinity of the person;
• Before starting work and when leaving work and after any breaks;
• Handling of food and drinks (whether own or another person’s);
• Using a computer keyboard or mouse, cash register in the work area;
• Handling laundry/equipment/waste;
• After glove removal (if used);
• After using a restroom; and
• After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.
• Wash hands with soap and water when visibly dirty or visibly soiled with mucus, saliva, blood or other body fluids or after using the toilet.
• Microbes are transferred to various types of surfaces in much larger numbers from wet hands than from hands that are thoroughly dried. This makes it even more important that you thoroughly dry your hands after washing.

Use an alcohol‐based hand rub as the preferred means for routine hand cleaning when hand washing is not possible or feasible and in all other situations if hands are not visibly soiled.

If alcohol‐based (80% ethanol or 75% isopropyl alcohol) hand rub is not obtainable, wash hands with soap and water.

• Before and after touching another person;
• After removing gloves (if used)
• Before preparing food perform hand hygiene using an alcohol‐based hand rub or wash hands with either plain or antimicrobial soap and water; and
• Soap and alcohol‐based hand rub should not be used together.

Procedure:

• Apply hand rub on dry hands.
• Use manufacturer recommended amount.
• Rub hands together.
• Solution must come into contact with all surfaces of the hand. Pay particular attention to areas between the fingers, the thumbs, under nails, and tips of the fingers.
• Continue until dry.

Covering coughs and sneezes and keeping hands clean can help prevent the spread of serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and COVID‐19. Pathogens can be easily spread by:

• Coughing, sneezing, or talking
• Touching your face with unwashed hands after touching contaminated surfaces or objects
• Touching surfaces or objects that may be frequently touched by other people

·  Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and discard used tissues into the garbage and if you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your inner elbow, not your hands.

·  Remember to immediately wash your hands after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing or use hand sanitiser if you are unable to wash your hands. 

Workers should wear gloves when there is a risk of exposure to mucus, saliva, blood and/or body fluids, such as when cleaning dirty surfaces or cleaning up spills.

Wearing gloves must not replace hand washing. Gloves may have defects that are not immediately obvious or may become damaged with use and become a hazard to the worker. If you are using gloves to clean a spill always perform hand hygiene before applying gloves and after removing or changing gloves.

Let hands dry thoroughly prior to putting on gloves. 

Hands frequently become contaminated during removal, so you need to take gloves off properly to prevent contamination of your hands and dispose of appropriately.

To take gloves off, grab one glove with the other gloved hand on the contaminated side, near the wrist and fold over until it comes off. Alternatively, you can pull the contaminated gloves on the first hand for removal by the fingertips of the glove. 

When the first glove is removed, place the ungloved fingers under the wrist of the remaining glove and fold onto itself so you do not touch the top surface of the glove, only the uncontaminated underside. Wash hands.

Gloves may need to be changed multiple times during the day (remember gloves can become contaminated too). 

Do not re‐use gloves and do not wash gloves.

Always ask yourself:

• Why am I wearing gloves?
• Who am I trying to protect
• Would frequent hand hygiene be better?

Don’t be afraid to inform and guide other people about the correct use of gloves

• Before putting on the mask, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, or use a hand sanitiser that is made up of over 60% alcohol.
• Check for defects in the mask, such as tears or broken loops.
• Position the coloured side of the mask outward.
• If present, make sure the metallic strip is at the top of the mask and positioned against the bridge of your nose.
• If the mask has:
  • Ear loops: Hold the mask by both ear loops and place one loop over each ear.
  • Ties: Hold the mask by the upper strings. Tie the upper strings in a secure bow near the crown of your head. Tie the bottom strings securely in a bow near the nape of your neck.
  • Dual elastic bands: Pull the bottom band over your head and position it against the nape of your neck. Pull the top band over your head and position it against the crown of your head
• Mould the bendable metallic upper strip to the shape of your nose by pinching and pressing down on it with your fingers.
• Pull the bottom of the mask over your mouth and chin.
• Be sure the mask fits snugly.
• Don’t touch the mask once in position.
• If the mask gets soiled or damp, replace it with a new one.

You can remove it outside, once you are away from other people, or in your car on your way home. 

• Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol.
• Don’t touch the front of the mask or your face.
• Carefully remove your mask by grasping the ear loops or untying the ties. For masks with a pair of ties, unfasten the bottom one first, then the top one.
• Clean your hands again.

Single use masks are for single-use only and should be disposed of responsibly in the rubbish bin.

No, you should keep your face mask on while speaking with other people and maintain a physical distance of 1.5 metres. 

When handling waste:

• Apply standard precautions to protect against exposure to mucus, saliva, blood, and other body substances during handling of waste; wash hands following handling of waste.
• Waste should be contained in the appropriate receptacle and disposed of properly.
• Bins should be provided in the work area for customers to dispose of used tissues and rubbish.

Workers should be trained in the correct procedures for waste handling if waste is excessive.

When transporting waste:

• Internal or on‐site movement is the movement of waste from its source to the storage, or collection point.
• The container must not allow liquids to leak or soak through.

Clear signage can assist customers to understand physical distancing requirements. Entry and exit points for the business should be clearly marked to assist in physical distancing of customers as they move through the premises. It may also be useful to designate one‐way traffic aisles, or separate areas for ordering and waiting to assist in maintaining social distance within the premises.

It is safer to maintain physical distance and avoid direct contact in these situations, whenever possible. It is also important to encourage customers to maintain correct physical distance when on the premises. You may need to politely remind them of these obligations and this is where appropriate signage can also assist in deescalating customer frustration with the requirements.

• Erect posters and signage in-store reminding customers to maintain a physical distance of at least 1.5 metres
• Places distinctive markings on the floor at least 1.5 metres apart
• Places dispensers of hand sanitiser on counter/at entrance for all staff and customers to use

Reducing capacities to ensure physical distancing is an established infection control measure. As a way to limit the number of people who may gather at one time, control measures should be implemented to ensure that capacities do not exceed one patron per four square metres of available area. For example, if an indoor space is 8 metres long and 2 metres wide, its total area is 16 square metres. Its density quotient is 4, so no more than 4 patrons would be permitted to be in the indoor space at the same time. The density quotient should be rounded down, for example a density quotient of 9.68 becomes 9 patrons.

The maximum number of people within a site or venue needs to be calculated based on the net floor space that people can freely move around in, excluding space occupied by infrastructure such as stages, installations, fixtures, fittings and displays, as well as any restricted areas that are only accessible to staff / accredited personnel.

In addition to the four square metre rule, the layout of all RISING sites and venues should be designed or adjusted to enable festival personnel and patrons to keep at least 1.5 metres apart. For example, this could be achieved by spreading out or reducing furniture and considering floor and/or wall markings and signage to identify 1.5 metres distancing requirements.

Ensuring that work spaces allow the maintenance of recommended physical distance between individuals is important.

This might mean that you can only have a limited amount of people in a certain area to ensure they can keep a safe distance from each other. You may need to put up signage to let people know this before entering your workplace.

In kitchens, this may mean ensuring adequate spacing between food preparation areas or benches and staff preparing and serving food. Putting signs or distancing lines on the floor can remind people what a safe distance is from others.

COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. A person can acquire the virus by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes.

A key way you can protect workers and others from the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is by implementing appropriate cleaning and disinfecting measures for your workplace.

A combination of cleaning and disinfection will be most effective in removing the COVID-19 virus. 

Workplaces must be cleaned at least daily. Cleaning with detergent and water is usually sufficient.  Once clean, surfaces can be disinfected. When and how often your workplace should be disinfected will depend on the likelihood of contaminated material being present. You should prioritise cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that many people touch.  

General surfaces can be divided into two groups—those with minimal hand contact (e.g. floors and ceilings) and those with frequent skin contact (‘high touch’ or ‘high risk’ surfaces).

Frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned using a detergent solution and more frequently than surfaces with minimal hand contact.

Gloves should be worn when using cleaning products.

Cleaning means to physically remove germs (bacteria and viruses), dirt and grime from surfaces using a detergent and water solution. A detergent is a surfactant that is designed to break up oil and grease with the use of water. Anything labelled as a detergent will work.

Disinfecting means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. It’s important to clean before disinfecting because dirt and grime can reduce the ability of disinfectants to kill germs. The following disinfectants are suitable for use on hard surfaces (that is, surfaces where any spilt liquid pools, and does not soak in): alcohol in a concentration of at least 70%, chlorine bleach in a concentration of 1000 parts per million, oxygen bleach, or wipes and sprays that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. These chemicals will be labelled as ‘disinfectant’ on the packaging and must be diluted or used following the instructions on the packaging to be effective.

Hand sanitiser should be available to ALL and contactless payment should be encouraged at all times. Point of Sale touch screens should be wiped with a new disinfectant wipe between every customer / staff member using it. This includes pin pads and pens.

Avoid touching cash when possible and, if possible, and where possible introduce cashless transactions.

If a shared toilet or public toilet is the only option available for hand washing, wash hands, dry thoroughly and use the paper towel to open the toilet door to exit and then dispose of the towel appropriately. 

Contact tracing is time critical and provision of contact details to Victorian health officials should be conducted in the shortest time frame possible. Contact Details are collected and retained as required for all workers and patrons in attendance at all sites and venues.

To support contact tracing, each person who attends any site/venue for more than 15 minutes (including staff) must provide:

• First name
• Phone number.
• Date & Time of attendance
  These records must be kept for 28 days from the date of attendance and then be destroyed (this only applies to records for contact tracing – attendance data captured through the ticketing process is exempt).

Whilst pen and paper is currently permitted you do need to have a process of wiping the pen with antibacterial wipes after every single use.

Alternatively you can create your own QR code, until the relevant regulatory government releases a state / territory wide QR code system.