Visitors banned from Top End hospitals
Visitors have been banned from the Territory’s biggest hospitals, as the threat of Covid-19 increases.
SATURDAY UPDATE: All visitors have been banned from attending the Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital.
In a post on Facebook, NT Health announced the change saying there would only be exemptions in special circumstances, such as being a birthing partner or visits for end-of-life care.
It comes as the Territory recorded almost 600 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday.
To apply for an exemption, would-be visitors will have to speak to the clinical nurse manager of the ward who will liaise with the nursing director of that division.
Those with exemptions will have to undergo contact, symptom and temperature screening and wear a surgical mask at all times.
Even people assisting with paediatric care, including parents, will have to apply for exemptions.
Visitor hours for those with exemptions are limited to two hours, anytime between 10am and 7pm.
MONDAY: ALL staff, patients and visitors are required to undergo a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) before entering Top End hospitals but long wait times have caused issues with patients unable to make appointments on time.
An NT Health spokesman said the measure had been introduced to protect staff and patients at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) and Palmerston Regional Hospital (PRH).
Visitors and patients being admitted have been required to take a RAT before entering the hospital since January 1 with a testing station providing kits at both hospitals.
As of January 5, all staff members are also required to have a RAT before entering with tests distributed.
The spokesman said the alterations were part of a raft of changes put in place to keep the hospital environment safe while Covid cases in the NT increased.
Other measures include staff members working in clinical areas needing to use P2/N95 masks and eye protection.
A vaccination team has been offering Covid vaccinations to patients.
However, testing wait times sometimes reaching up to an hour and a half has been a cause for concern for some heading to appointments.
Paula Xu went to RDH for a pregnancy test but while waiting for more than 20 minutes in line before getting her test realised she may have missed her appointment.
“It’s here to keep everyone safe which is a good thing but I think in waiting I might have missed my appointment,” she said.
Joseph Valdriz was also forced to wait in line on his way to a chemotherapy appointment but he noted that getting the tests free at the hospital was easier than getting them elsewhere.
“It is actually very good and very easy for me to come and get the tests here rather than elsewhere,” he said. “The service and everyone have been very helpful in getting me here.” During Tuesday’s Covid press conference, Chief Minister Michael Gunner said the approach to testing at the hospitals would be reviewed in light of the queues.
“I think they will be reviewing that procedure on if it is actually a practical way of managing people visiting hospital or patients and staff coming in,” Mr Gunner said.
“That was a hospital decision by hospital staff on having a safe workplace and going through what is the most practical way of doing that but I don’t think those kinds of queues are what we’re after.”
Free RAT kits are available at the East Arm testing facility, GP SuperClinic Palmerston, Katherine Vaccination Centre, Gove Peninsula Pandemic Clinic, Alice Springs Pandemic Coordination Centre and the Tennant Creek drive through testing site.
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