COVID-19 : NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
WEDNESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2022
Please find below a selection of recent legislation changes relating to COVID-19 and communications for workplaces from key safety and environmental regulators in Australia and New Zealand.
This update is provided on a weekly basis.
LEGISLATION CHANGES
Please note: The legislation in this update was current at time of release. Legislation around COVID-19 is frequently updated and revoked. The URLs provided may no longer be maintained by the relevant legislative website, after the release date.
Advance to the Finance Minister Determination (No. 5 of 2021-2022)
- Determines that the departmental item for Outcome 2 for the Department of Finance is increased by $200,000,000 to support the Commonwealth’s commitments to construct the Centres for National Resilience at Mickleham in Victoria, Pinkeba in Queensland and Bullbrook in WA.
Public Health (Emergency) Declaration Further Extension 2022 (No 1)
- Further extends the period during which the Public Health (Emergency) Declaration 2020 (No 1) is in force for a period of 90 days.
Public Health (Restricted Activities) Emergency Direction 2022 (No 2)
- Imposes restrictions on certain businesses, activities and undertakings in relation to occupancy and density limits at premises, and the requirement to operate in accordance with COVID-19 safety plans and register and use the Check In CBR app, where applicable, to minimise the public health risk posed by COVID-19.
COVID-19 Directions (No. 40) 2022: Cruise Vessels
- Specifies requirements for cruise vessels entering a port in the Territory.
COVID-19 Directions (No. 41) 2022: Directions for High Risk Places
- Specifies requirements for workers at certain high risk places.
Disability Accommodation Services Direction (No. 28)
- Imposes requirements for restricted and non-restricted shared disability accommodation services.
Emergency Management (Activities - Associated Direction No 19) (COVID-19) Direction 2022
- Declares the whole of South Australia to be a declared area that is subject to level 1 restrictions, and modifies the Emergency Management (Activities - General No 3) (COVID-19) Direction 2021.
Emergency Management (Arrivals - Associated Direction No 15) (COVID-19) Direction 2022
- Sets out requirements applying to arrivals from specified locations, and certain other requirements for quarantine, commercial vessels, close contacts, masks and transiting passengers, among other things.
Modification of the Controlled Substances Act 1984
- Inserts new Subsection 31(1)(e) into the Controlled Substances Act 1984.
Pandemic (Additional Industry Obligations) Order 2022 (No. 6)
- Imposes additional specific obligations on employers and workers in specific industries (poultry processing facilities, abattoirs and meat processing facilities, seafood processing facilities, supermarket work premises and perishable food work premises, warehousing and distribution centres, commercial cleaning services, care facilities, ports of entry servicing international arrivals, hotel quarantine, hospitals, schools, childcare or early childhood services and construction sites) in relation to managing the risk associated with COVID-19.
Pandemic COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Facilities) Order 2022 (No. 5)
- Requires operators of specified facilities to manage the vaccination status of workers, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the population of residential aged care facilities, construction sites, healthcare facilities, and education facilities.
Pandemic COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Workers) Order 2022 (No. 4)
- Requires employers not to permit a worker to work outside their ordinary place of residence if they are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated or not fully vaccinated (boosted) (as applicable) in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 within the population of those workers.
Public Health Emergency Order Under Section 22D (PHEO #17)
- Facilitates the supply by the Australian Government Department of Health of COVID-19 anti-viral treatments from the National Medical Stockpile by authorising residential aged care facilities to obtain and possess or supply Schedule 4 poisons entered in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and indicated for the treatment of COVID-19 in accordance with the conditions outlined in the Order.
Airport and Transportation (Face Mask) Directions (No 2)
- Limits the spread of COVID-19 by requiring that a person must wear a face mask at all times while they are at an airport or engaged in transport services unless one of the face covering exceptions apply.
Aircraft Travel (Face Mask) Directions (No 2)
- Limits the spread of COVID-19 by requiring all persons on a domestic aircraft to wear a face mask at all times while they are on a domestic aircraft while it is on land or waters within WA or flying in WA airspace unless one of the face covering exceptions apply.
Close Contact Definition Amendment Directions
- Amends the definition of close contact where it appears in a range of directions to reflect the definition of close contact used in the COVID Transition (Testing and Isolation) Directions.
COVID Transition (Border Requirements) Amendment Directions (No 5)
- Amends the COVID Transition (Border Requirements) Directions.
COVID Transition (Modification of Obligations) Directions
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into WA and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA while facilitating persons who meet certain conditions being released from quarantine requirements after 7 days.
COVID Transition (Testing and Isolation) Directions
- Establishes requirements for testing and isolation for the purposes of limiting the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Exposed On-Board Worker Directions (No 5)
- Sets out the requirements that apply to exposed on-board workers disembarking onto land in WA.
Extension of Declaration (No. 3) of Public Health State of Emergency
- Extends the public health state of emergency for a period of 14 days.
Flight Crew Directions (No 11)
- Sets out the requirements that apply to a domestic flight crew member and an international flight crew member immediately after the enter WA, and the entry requirements for those who are close contact.
Maritime Crew Member Directions (No 5)
- Sets out the requirements that apply to maritime crew members disembarking onto land in WA.
Presentation for Testing (Airport Workers - Direct International Arrivals) Directions (No 3)
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into the WA community and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Presentation for Testing Directions (No 40)
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into WA and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Presentation for Testing (Quarantine Centre Workers) Directions (No 10)
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into the WA community and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Quarantine Centre Workers (Secondary Employment) Directions (No 2)
- Sets out some specific conditions applying to quarantine centre workers and their employment for the purpose of preventing the importation of COVID-19 into WA and otherwise limiting the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Quarantine Driver Directions (No 2)
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into the WA community and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
Rapid Antigen Test (Restrictions on Sale and Supply) Directions (No 2)
- Places limitations on the volume of rapid antigen tests which may be supplied in certain transactions so as to facilitate proper management of supply of rapid antigen tests.
Rig or Platform Crew Member Directions (No 5)
- Sets out the requirements that apply to rig or platform crew members disembarking onto land in WA.
Transport and Accommodation Services (Exposed Maritime Worker) Directions (No 4)
- Prevents the importation of COVID-19 into the WA community and otherwise limits the spread of COVID-19 in WA.
COVID-19 Public Health Response (Specified Work Vaccinations) Amendment Order 2022
- Amends the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Specified Work Vaccinations) Order 2021 to clarify the purpose of that order.
COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Amendment Order (No 2) 2022
- Amends the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 to adjust the period in which affected persons who are 18 years of age or older and belong to a group specified in Part 7 of Schedule 2 of the Order must receive a booster dose of a specified COVID-19 vaccine to continue to carry out certain work.
FROM THE REGULATORS
Australian Government:
Department of Health:
- ATAGI Statement on Defining 'Up-To-Date' Status for COVID-19 Vaccination
- ATAGI Update Following Weekly COVID-19 Meeting - 9 February 2022
- COVID-19 Vaccination Information Kiosks Open Now In (VIC, NSW, WA and QLD)
- Rapid Antigen Tests
- Top 3 COVID-19 Vaccine Questions - Avoiding Certain Things Before a RAT, Testing for Kids, and Variants Picked Up by Tests
Therapeutic Goods Administration:
NT Government:
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment:
The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory:
Business Tasmania:
Department of Health:
Tasmanian Government:
Victorian Government:
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment:
Ministry of Health:
NZ Government:
- Booster Roll Out Completed in All Aged Residential Care Facilities
- Government Delivers Certainty and Support for Large-Scale Events
- New Scheme to Keep Key Sectors Going Through Omicron
- Self-isolation Rules for Travellers to New Zealand Released
- Testing and Returning to Work During Omicron
- 10 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
That completes this edition of the COVID-19 update. The next update will be released on Wednesday 23 February 2022.