COVID-19 Information

SWTAFE is committed to providing a safe environment for our staff, students, contractors and wider community. The information below reflects our current organisation protocols for business operations, as guided by the Victorian Government.

How to keep safe and avoid COVID-19

To keep our staff and students safe and limit the spread of COVID-19:

• Practice good hygiene - frequently wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
• Keep 1.5 metres away from others wherever possible
• Avoid physical greetings such as handshaking
• Avoid crowds and large gatherings where close contact is likely, if you are in a crowd consider wearing a mask
• Get tested and stay at home if you have any cold or flu symptoms

How to keep safe and avoid COVID-19

For SWTAFE students:

Students enrolled in the higher education, skills and training sector are no longer required to show evidence of having received COVID-19 vaccinations when attending class on campus.

However, vaccine requirements for placement and workplace training remain in place.

Students who are undertaking practical placement or relevant work-based training as part of their course must continue to follow the vaccination requirements set by the respective workplace. SWTAFE recommends students check with their employers regarding current vaccine mandates that apply to their sector.

For SWTAFE staff:

The current vaccination requirements remain in place, with all staff working outside their ordinary place of residence required to be fully vaccinated, unless identified as an excepted person.

Those staff working within the Disability Department are required to be fully vaccinated (boosted).

An excepted person means a person who holds acceptable certification that they are unable to receive a dose, or a further dose, of any COVID-19 vaccine that is available in Australia due to:
a) a medical contraindication; or
b) an acute medical illness (including where the person has been diagnosed with COVID-19.

A person is fully vaccinated if the person has received:
a) one dose of a one dose COVID-19 vaccine; or
b) two doses of a two dose COVID-19 vaccine including two different types of two dose COVID-19 vaccines.

A person is fully vaccinated (boosted) if the person has received a booster dose.

Please remember to report any COVID cases

• If you test positive to COVID-19, you must tell the social and workplace contacts who you spent time with while you were infectious. This includes colleagues at SWTAFE. You may also inform people at a school or other education facility.
• As a staff member you must ensure that they report this to CovidReporting@swtafe.edu.au, as we are required to monitor and report case clusters in our workplace to The Department of Health.  You must also notify SWTAFE if you were onsite during your infectious period (in the 48 hours prior to returning the positive result if you had no symptoms, or in the 48 hours before you first experienced symptoms of COVID-19).
• People who return a positive PCR or rapid antigen test for COVID-19 should isolate for five days.
• Most people are still infectious after 5 days and you should stay home if you are still experiencing symptoms like a runny nose, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, or sweats. A negative RAT result is a helpful tool to determine whether you are still infectious.

Rules for close contacts

Please visit Coronavirus Victoria Checklist for COVID contacts for the latest advice on what to do if you come in contact with someone who has COVID-19.

Further information

For more information on current restrictions, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au. It is the single destination for all Victorian COVID-19 information and resources, including information about TAFE, university, training and adult education providers, apprentices and trainees, and health and wellbeing.

Please see below all COVID-19 communications released by SWTAFE

VIEW COMMUNICATION RELEASED TO STUDENTS

VIEW COMMUNICATION RELEASED TO CONTRACTORS