March 18, 2020
The coronavirus COVID-19 situation continues to evolve (by the hour), as seen in the media in recent days. This has led to the closure of a number of schools, albeit for periods of only one or two days, and the introduction of various other measures by governments including upgraded travel advice and banning large gatherings. This letter is to inform you of our approach to the rapidly changing developments.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have prepared answers to the most frequently asked questions received from families. These are on our website at abtaedu.com.au now. Should you have any questions that are not covered in this document please send them to enquiry@abtaedu.com.
As you can imagine there are a substantial number of scenarios we are working through and given the speed with which the situation is evolving we may not be able to respond to all questions immediately.
How concerned should we be?
Somebody once said, “we should be alert but not alarmed.” The outcomes of the virus have been worst amongst elderly people with underlying health complications. Most people who have contracted the virus have experienced cold or flu-like symptoms, without more serious complications, and have recovered fully.
We encourage you and your family to avoid a sense of panic in relation to this situation. We have developed robust responses to a range of scenarios, we are in contact with all relevant authorities and acting on their advice and we are increasing efforts to build on the already high hygiene standards within our Academy.
What would happen if there was a diagnosed case of a student or educator/trainer?
We will inform you if this happens. In all cases we will act on the advice of the relevant Health Authority.
We have been advised by Health Authorities that the risk of infection occurring as a result of a person diagnosed with COVID-19 attending the Academy are low. People need to be considered a close contact of the infected or at-risk person to be considered at risk of contracting the virus. A close contact is someone who has been in face-to-face contact for more than 15 minutes or who has been in the same closed space for at least 2 hours with a confirmed case in the period extending from 24 hours before onset of symptoms in the confirmed case.
Should a visitor to ABTA be diagnosed with COVID-19 we will undertake a special clean of the Academy and will rely on the advice of the relevant Health Authority on whether to close our services or not.
Should an educator/trainer or student be diagnosed with COVID-19 we will close the Academy and act on the advice of the relevant Health Authority.
What can we do to protect ourselves, our classmates and the staff of ABTA?
Advice from federal and state health authorities it that the most important thing for us all to do is to maintain good hygiene. We continue to reinforce this message to all staff members, students, clients and models of ABTA. We ask that everyone involved at ABTA:
Washing your hands often with soap and water, including before and after eating and after going to the toilet Covering your coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue (before disposing of it) Disposing of tissues properly Using alcohol-based hand sanitisers Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces Avoid touching faces Cleaning and sanitising frequently used objects such as mobiles, keys and wallets While friendliness and courtesy remain, shaking hands, hugging and other physical contact are no longer appropriate. If you are sick, avoiding contact with others and staying more than 1.5 metres away from people
If you have any developing flu-like symptoms, for the wellbeing and safety of the students and staff of ABTA, you will be required to stay at home until recovered. If we suspect you are unwell at ABTA, you will need to leave the Academy immediately. We are keeping any risk of infection at the Academy very low.
Please continue to reference updated COVID-19 information on the Australian Government website and on our website. Both sites are being progressively updated and it is important to continue to stay in touch with the latest information.
Updated Travel Advice
In addition to the travel advice contained on the Smart Traveller website about particular countries of high risk, we want to direct your attention to the decision of the Federal Government that as of 16 March anyone arriving in Australia from overseas will be forced to self-isolate for 14 days.
With school holidays rapidly approaching, I ask that you make informed decisions regarding overseas travel in the coming months. I encourage you to consider the Australian Government’s travel advisory information available online at Smart Traveller.
Keeping you informed using your current contact information
Please ensure that ABTA has the most up-to-date email and mobile phone details for all approved contacts.
The situation is changing rapidly (almost hourly), so I would ask that if you have any questions that are not centre specific can you please forward them to enquiry@abtaedu.com, rather than asking your Trainer. As you can imagine we are receiving a significant number of enquiries so may not be able to respond to them all individually.
Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions section of our website at abtaedu.com.au – this will be updated regularly with answers to the most commonly asked questions.
I would also like to offer a genuine ‘thank you’ to all of our students for your ongoing co-operation and measured response to this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Ping Gan Principal
