Western Australia COVID-19 updates

• Stay at Home directives. There are only 4 reasons to leave home: getting essential supplies, exercise, giving care to vulnerable, work which cannot be done at home.
• Mandatory mask wearing when leaving home
• No visitors in homes, hospitals or aged care
• Exercise limited to 1 hour/day in groups of up to 2 people in your local area only
• Schools will be closed and will not resume tomorrow as scheduled.
• Hospitality will permitted to operate as takeaway only.

• Metropolitan Perth
• Peel

• South West

   

• Discourage stockpiling of masks. PSA recommends pharmacist limit supply to quantities which will be adequate for people and their families to get through the lockdown period.
• All pharmacists, pharmacy staff and patients must wear masks from 6pm 31 January 2021. PSA encourages pharmacists and their teams to immediately start wearing masks at work.
• Continue to adhere to medicine supply limits
• Direct anyone with symptoms, or people who have been to exposures sites to COVID-19 testing centres
• Actively communicate these restrictions to your patients, colleagues, family and friends – including via social media
• Prepare for QR Code scanning at community pharmacies prior to the 12 February implementation deadline

Read the latest COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) Bulletins and Agency advisories

In relation to the Perth, Peel and South-west lockdown, the Medicines and Poisons Regulation Branch issued the following advice on 2 February 2020:

• Special arrangements for supplying prescription medicines, including use of ‘digital images’ of prescriptions, were put in place at the beginning of the pandemic. These measures are still in effect and detailed information is available on the COVID-19 information for health professionals section of the WA Health website (click on Clinical guidelines and scroll down to pharmaceutical).

• Electronic prescriptions are now also an option, including when consultations are conducted via telehealth.

• Requests for additional repeats and multiple packs of Schedule 2 and 3 medicines
  Pharmacists are reminded of the advice about dispensing limits and sales of over the counter medicines. These requirements are intended to ensure there is an equitable supply of medicines for everyone.

• Contact registers and use of the SafeWA app required at all retail premisesThe changes to the requirements for contact registers and use of the SafeWA app have been fast-tracked and are now in effect. As retail premises, pharmacies must provide their SafeWA QR code and a paper-based register for customers to complete.

• Masks for pharmacy staff and people entering the pharmacy without a suitable maskPharmacies can still order masks via the WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) Practice Assist website.

  These masks are distributed on a priority basis and are intended for pharmacy staff and any customers who need to wear a mask when at the pharmacy and who do not have a suitable mask with them.

  These masks are not for retail sale by the pharmacy. Masks for retail sale must be accessed via usual wholesalers.

Department of Health guidance for pharmacists

Further WA Department of Health advice is available:

• WA Controlled Interstate Border requirements (13 January 2021)
• Regulatory advice for community pharmacists during COVID-19 ~ (23 Apr 2020)
• Testing Criteria for SARS-CoV-2 in Western Australia ~ (17 Apr 2020)
• Changes to rules for prescriptions during COVID-19 ~ (9 Apr 2020)
• Use of digital images for supply of medicines during COVID-19 ~ (9 Apr 2020)
• Advice for patients about obtaining ongoing supplies of medicines without a current prescription during COVID-19 ~ (1 Apr 2020)
• Advice for pharmacists supplying medicines to patients during COVID-19 ~  (1 Apr 2020)
• Guidance for community pharmacies ~ (1 Apr 2020)
• Public health emergency order – Pharmacist Supply on a Digital Image
• WA Health ease prescription difficulties during COVID-19 ~ (26 Mar 2020)
• Pharmacy update – WAPHA/PHN ~ (25 Mar 2020)
• Clinician Alert #15