Box Hill Australian Taxation Office staff diagnosed with coronavirus
Three employees from the Australian Taxation Office call centre in Box Hill are self-isolating after testing positive to coronavirus, as the operator says most of its staff are now working from home.
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Three staff from the Australian Taxation Office call centre in Box Hill are self-isolating after testing positive to coronavirus.
According to operator Serco, none of the staff from the Whitehorse Rd site have attended work since they initially felt unwell and took the precaution of self-isolating and being tested.
The first staff member last worked on July 6; notified Serco of the positive test result on July 10; and has been in isolation since.
The second staff member last worked on July 10; notified Serco of the positive test result on July 16; and has been in isolation since.
The third staff member also last worked on July 10; notified Serco of the positive test result on July 16; and has been in isolation since.
Serco employs about 4500 people in Victoria, the majority of whom are identified as providing an essential service to the Government.
In a statement Serco since said its first confirmed coronavirus case it enabled an increased number of its staff to work from home and it was continuing to help more staff to do so.
As of Thursday it had about 355 members (85 per cent) of its Box Hill staff working from home.
Graph courtesy of covid19data.com.au
On each occasion of a positive coronavirus test Serco communicated with all staff at the site and advised that if they were not well, to follow the health guidance and remain at home.
“The Department of Health has been advised and we believe is undertaking its tracing, and staff have been supported through our Employee Assistance Program,” the statement said.
“We have undertaken deep cleans (of the office after) being advised of each positive result.”
A Serco spokesperson said since the coronavirus outbreak it had implemented a range of measures in its workplaces to limit the potential spread of the virus and had been very clear with staff to follow the health advice.
Temperature checking was implemented at the start of last week for all staff on entry to the workplace at the start of all shifts, full sanitation protocols are in place, and staff are being offered face masks for individuals to use in the workplace and their family to use outside home.
According to Thursday’s figures from the Department of Health and Human Services, Whitehorse has 46 active cases of coronavirus.
Box Hill is home to several high-rise buildings, and a Whitehorse spokesperson said the council was sharing key health messages from the Department of Health and Human Services in different languages to all sectors of the community, including residents living in medium to high density housing.
“Whitehorse News is distributed to more than 61,000 households every month, and we have also distributed 50,000 leaflets outside more than 140 supermarkets, clinics and other outlets since the pandemic began,” the spokesperson said.
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