Call the CORONAVIRUS HOTLINE on 1800 675 398 if you have any questions about the information below:
Mask rules eased: face masks no longer need to be worn in many indoor settings including vet clinics, but people must still carry masks with them outside of the home and wearing a mask remains recommended. More information: Face masks - when to wear a face mask (Victorian Government) and Pandemic Order Register > Movement and Gathering > 'Pandemic (Movement and Gathering) Order 2022 (No. 4)'.
QR Code check-ins no longer mandatory: visitors and staff at veterinary clinics are no longer required to check-in via a QR Code but vet clinics may still keep a record of all persons who attend the work premises using the Victorian Government QR code system (Pandemic Order Register > Workplace Order > section 10(8) Pandemic (Workplace) Order 2022 (No. 6).
Booster vaccination: It is recommended that all individuals aged 16 years and over receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose from 3 months after the last primary dose to maintain an "up-to-date" status (ATAGI statement on defining "up-to-date" status). Currently, veterinary and other animal services workers are not required to have had a third booster vaccination to attend work.
Close contacts exempt from isolation in some circumstances: Provided they meet specified conditions, veterinary practitioners and other animal services workers* who are asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-positive cases may be exempt from quarantine requirements to attend work (if attendance is necessary for business operations to continue). *Animal services workers provide animal health, husbandry or welfare services at any premises where animals are kept.
Exemption conditions are explained on the page, Checklist for COVID contacts: scroll down to the exemptions section then click on 'About the exemption'. From there, you can download the detailed document, 'Guidance for exemption from quarantine for specific workers who are close contacts'. More information: Pandemic Order Register > Quarantine Isolation and Testing Order > 'Exemption of Specific Workers who are close contacts in respect of the Pandemic (Quarantine, Isolation and Testing) Order 2022 (No. 3) and Directions given as conditions applicable in respect of the Exemption'
Click on an FAQ below for more information. Note these FAQs may not be up-to-date when restrictions are tightening or easing rapidly. For current pandemic orders, see the Pandemic Order Register.
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The FAQs above are for general information only and are not intended to be complete. It is your responsibility to inform yourself and keep updated as circumstances change. Veterinary practitioners should exercise their professional judgment and seek appropriate advice on complying with government rules in their particular circumstances.
The FAQs on this page contain links to third party websites of organisations which are responsible for or able to assist with the subject matter of an FAQ. These external sites are controlled and produced by third parties. The Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria (VPRBV) has no control over and is not responsible for the content of any third-party website. Links to these websites are provided by the VPRBV for user information only, and do not constitute an endorsement of any material, product or service that may be found at those sites. The VPRBV makes no warranty, guarantee or representation in relation to the accuracy, currency, correctness, reliability, usability, suitability or any other aspect of any information and/or materials contained in external links. The VPRBV does not accept any liability for any form of loss or damage that may result from any person’s reliance on the information and/or materials contained in any external links.