NSW visiting and resident outing arrangements

Visiting arrangements

There is no limit to the number of visitors (of any age) that a resident can have at any one time. We ask that you be mindful of the surrounding environment and size of your loved one’s room.

All visitors must comply with the details below. Please note some requirements below are in addition to Chief Health Officer directions.

If your loved one’s aged care centre is managing an outbreak of respiratory infection, different arrangements will apply and you will be kept informed of the requirements regarding visiting. 

Before you visit:

• All visitors over the age of 12 must be vaccinated with at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• All visitors over the age of 6 months must be vaccinated with the 2022 Influenza vaccine. 
• To reduce the risk of transmission, please wear clean clothes and come straight from home to the aged care centre.
• All visitors are asked to complete their own rapid antigen test at home or on arrival at the centre and provide proof of the negative result (photo or actual test). The stations at the care centre will be self-serve so our staff can be more available to residents in their roles as carers.
• If a visitor is unable to complete their own rapid antigen test they will need to make an appointment at the care centre for the test to be conducted by staff prior to entry. Contact numbers for staff to assist will be displayed at self-serve Rapid Antigen Stations.

When you arrive:

• All visitors must wear surgical masks when visiting a resident in their room or a P2/N95 mask if visiting a resident in common areas (in this case, the Care Centre will provide visitors with the P2/N95 mask).  
• No cloth masks when at a care centre.
• Please sign in at the dedicated entry point and undertake a wellness check. Please be patient and maintain social distancing if you have to wait while others complete the wellness check ahead of you.
• Please wash your hands thoroughly before entering and leaving the aged care centre, or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

When visiting:

• After signing in and completing your wellness check, please proceed directly to the room of the person you are visiting. 
• Please maintain good hand hygiene, and social distancing of at least 1.5 m unless assisting with personal care (eg meals); do not stop to chat with others as you make your way to and from visiting your loved one.

Resident outings

Residents are permitted to leave the aged care centre either by themselves or with a friend or relative to exercise or for outdoor recreation provided they:

• Abide by the current public health orders including directions.
• Wear a face mask where required by the current public health orders, and consider wearing a face mask in large crowds where social distancing cannot be maintained.

Residents may join a gathering if there will be no person at the gathering who in the last 14 days has been:

• a close contact of a person confirmed with COVID-19 and are within their self-isolating period
• living in a household with a person who is currently self-isolating
• tested for COVID-19 and is still waiting for their result
• experiencing COVID-19 symptoms of fever (37.5 C or more), cough, shortness of breath, sputum production, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, runny nose, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, fatigue or nasal congestion.

On leaving the centre all residents and/or their representative will be asked to complete a resident outing form and confirm their understanding of the above requirements.

Residents who leave the centre to attend a family gathering or event are to be tested using a Rapid Antigen Test on Day 2, Day 4 and Day 6 after they return. If they develop any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, they will need to isolate and have a RAT or PCR test.