Tamworth aged care residents, staff test positive to COVID-19 forcing facilities into lockdown

Recent outbreaks at Tamworth's Bupa Aged Care home and the RFBI Tamworth Masonic Village have forced both facilities to ban all visitors and ramp up restrictions.

A spokesperson for Tamworth Masonic Village confirmed to the Leader five staff members are currently off work after testing positive to the virus.

A further eight residents have tested positive, all of whom are confined to the Lyell Green Unit.

The spokesperson said all are relatively well considering, and only three are displaying symptoms, which are being managed.

Meanwhile, an outbreak which plunged Tamworth's Bupa Aged Care home into lockdown on March 9 is continuing to impact the facility, with nine active cases among residents and a further nine staff off work, either due to infection or being a close contact.

A Bupa spokesperson told the Leader staff have been working hard to protect residents and team members from the current wave of community transmission.

"But we're mindful that Omicron is highly transmissible, and we know the situation can change rapidly," they said.

"We always follow guidance from the health authorities and the local Public Health Unit, and Bupa has never hesitated to put in place its own restrictions and protocols when needed to protect our residents and our people."

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The spokesperson said staff are always mindful of the critical importance of ensuring residents can maintain contact with their families and friends as much as possible.

"In cases where our residents' families are not able to visit their loved ones, we have let them know that our team can work with them to arrange 'virtual visits' using digital devices such as iPads or phones, or via our home's windows," they said.

It comes after 133 cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the Tamworth local government area on Tuesday.

A Hunter New England Health spokesperson said there are currently 39 COVID-19 cases receiving care in hospitals across the local health district, and four in intensive care.

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