An important update regarding coronavirus and the precautionary measures being implemented by Active Rehab and the actions required of their staff, therapists and clients. However, it remains critically important that Active Rehab continues to strengthen its efforts to protect our staff, therapists and clients and ensure continuity of our service.

As you will be well aware, there is currently a global outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). While the majority of confirmed cases have been reported from mainland China, the number of countries with reported cases is increasing on a daily basis, including Australia.

Incubation period for the coronavirus is 14 days, although there are some reports of longer incubation period. Symptoms include fever, flu-like symptoms such as coughing, sore throat and headaches and difficulty breathing.

We request that all therapists and clients who have recently been overseas OR been in close contact with someone who is a confirmed case of coronavirus we strongly encourage cancelling or postponing any upcoming appointments scheduled within the 14 day period OR until tests for the virus receive a negative result.

If you become aware that you or a client has become unwell and you have recently had direct contact with one of our staff members, please ensure you advise our office immediately.

In addition, everyone should continue to practice hygiene and other measures to protect again against infections including coronavirus including:

• Regular washing your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub between clients, before and after eating, or after going to the toilet.
• Covering your mouth and nose with tissues or inside of your elbow when coughing or sneezing
• Avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms
• If unwell, avoid contact with others

Appointments

Bookings are essential:

Active Rehab are currently NOT visiting the homes of clients due to the health risk of COVID-19. Only in an emergency will we visit the clients home. Active Rehab has transferred our show room into a assessment room, this gives us more room conduct appointments. We are also happy to meet with clients in an approved facility such as therapy centres.
Active Rehab aims to reduce the amount of people within close contact at any given time. Active Rehab promotes the concept of “social-distancing” at a 1.5m distance from others as much as applicable. Give the line of work we are in, Active Rehab recognises this is an impossible task when assessing client’s physical capacity, taking anthropometric measurements, transferring clients into seating systems and making the appropriate adjustments to equipment. However, we aim to encourage periods of limited close contact on and off during sessions; therefore, to ensure there is enough circulation space within clinic areas and showrooms to be able to do this we ask for the following to occur:

• Limit the number of people present at appointments to those imperative to be there e.g. 1 x rehab technician, 1 x therapist, 1 x consumer and 1 x support person if applicable. We recommend no more than four people per clinic room during this period. If another person needs to enter the appointment, we recommend a “swap” to maintain low numbers within the clinic room.
• All guests must report to reception upon arriving at Active Rehab. If the clinic room is free, consumers and health professionals may wait in their booked room for all parties to arrive. The reception team will invite you to do so. You may be asked to wait in your vehicle or outside (weather dependent) as the clinic room may not be ready for your appointment. The reception team will discourage waiting within the showroom due to limited space and the inability to ensure social distancing protocols can be adhered to.
• 15min periods will be blocked out after each appointment to ensure that cleaning procedures can occur in-between appointments.
• Bookings are to be made by contacting the Active Rehab reception team or through the attending rehab technician. Please specify a block of time you would like to use the clinic room for and attempt to stick within this timeframe to limit others waiting.

Screening for exposure to COVID-19 of attendees:
This will be the responsibility of the primary health practitioner coordinating the booking. In the event the booking is made by a Active Rehab staff member for the purpose of servicing and adjusting equipment without a
treating health practitioner present at the appointment, it is the responsibility of the Acrive Rehab Team member coordinating the booking to ensure the following screening questions have been asked:

• Have you returned from overseas OR been in contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 in the last 14 days?
• Do you have ANY flu like symptom? Fever, sore throat, running nose, shortness of breath?
  

In the event any of the attendees respond YES to either of the above questions, we ask the appointment to be cancelled and postponed until a period of time has passed and the above questions can be answered NO by all attendees. It is the responsibility of the Active Rehab Management Team to ensure all employees physically present with the two premises can always answer NO to the above questions. If an employee answers YES to either of the above, they will not be permitted to attend the showroom and factory sites
until they can satisfactorily prove their good health or period of self-isolation has ended without incident or without returning a positive test to COVID-19 if applicable to their symptoms.

Hygiene protocols and cleaning procedures:
Active Rehab has and will continue to provide an extensive range of hospital grade, alcohol-based cleaning products, air diffusers, hand sanitizers and hand washing soap to ensure a “controlled environment”. We ask that these products are used by all in the following manner:

• Upon arrival you are required to use the hand sanitizer provided within the front entrance. If your hands are visibly soiled, we request you wash your hands with soapand water instead of using the hand sanitizer to ensure a more appropriate clean is obtained. An accessible toilet is available with soap and running water. The reception team will assist you and show you the location. An instruction sheet will be provided as to “best practice” methods when cleaning your hands using both hand sanitizer and soap with running water. If you wish to review these documents before your appointment please follow the links provided: https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/How_To_HandWash_Poster.pdf https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/How_To_HandRub_Poster.pdf
• If at anytime you get the urge to cough or sneeze, please direct this into a tissue oryour elbow. If you are required to use a tissue at any stage during your appointmentyou will be requested to wash or disinfect your hands immediately.
• Upon arrival consumers with pre-existing equipment will be provided with alcoholbasedwipes and be requested to complete a surface clean of regularly touch areassuch as armrest, handrims, cushion top surface and swing-away leg rest. If theconsumer is unable to complete this task independently another member of theattending appointment will do so for them.
• Please refrain from greeting attendees and staff with handshakes.
• Please refrain from touching your face (nose, mouth and eyes) as able. Request theopportunity to use hand sanitizer or to wash your hands if you have used your handsaround these areas during your appointment.
• All regularly touched surfaces will be cleaned at the beginning of each day, inbetween appointments and before the close of day within the showroom and clinicareas. This will involve using alcohol-based cleaners to disinfect the reception surfaces, door handles, tap surfaces of visitor bathroom and all areas within the clinic rooms (plinths, chairs, tools etc..). Antimicrobial air purifying sprays and surface sprays will also be used within the clinic rooms and showroom areas regularly during and in-between appointments.
• 15mins is allocated between appointments to ensure all equipment used in the previous appointment can be relocated and a thorough surface clean of the area is completed.
• All equipment coming from the factory/workshop areas into the showroom and clinic rooms specific for appointments will be cleaned with hospital grade sprays and wipes before entering this environment. This includes our range of trial equipment, equipment ready for delivery and hire equipment. Please allow increased time at trial equipment appointments to allow for this process to occur.
• All equipment returning to the factory/workshop areas are required to go through the same procedure of cleaning before leaving the showroom areas.
• Visibly soiled equipment will be handled with gloves and relocated to an isolated area for deeper cleaning procedures.
• Any attendee at the appointment may request increased hygiene and/or cleaning practices throughout the appointment. Linds will make the appropriate products available.
• Hand washing and/or use of hand sanitizer is recommended for all attendees inbetween appointments OR before leaving the premises.

Please be accepting and patient with instructions given to you by our staff. We are all in this together and will not tolerate verbal or physical abuse of any kind on our premises.

The Active Rehab Team is taking this health crisis seriously. As such, all team members have completed the online training module provided by the Australian Government specific to infection control practices for COVID-19. If you wish to complete this training follow the link https://covid-19training.com.au/login.php and register for access.

This document will be update as the advice from both federal and state governments are publicly announced.