COVID-19 FAQs for veterinary practitioners

UPDATE 20 December 2021

There is much more movement in the Victorian community now that most restrictions have been lifted, so employers need to be prepared to handle a positive case of COVID-19 in the workplace. In addition to other Orders on the Pandemic Order Register, the following pandemic orders from Victoria's Minister of Health now apply to veterinary workplaces:

    1. Workplace Order - all workplaces must have COVIDSafe Plans and be prepared to respond to a suspected or positive case in the workplace. All staff at a workplace should know what's in the plan and where to get a copy in case an authorised government officer asks for it.,
      Additional guidance from Victorian Government:

    2. Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Workers) Order - with the exception of "excepted persons", all specified workers in Victoria need to be fully vaccinated in order to work onsite at a work premises. Specified workers include veterinary and pet/animal care workers.
      • Note re vaccination: There is no requirement under the Open Premises Order in place for veterinary clinics, animal shelters, pet groomers or pet stores to check the vaccination status of customers and/or refuse entry to unvaccinated customers. While currently no pandemic order mandates veterinary businesses to check vaccination status, a business can decide as part of its COVIDSafe actions to ask for vaccination status and refuse entry to unvaccinated patrons as long as the business also complies with obligations under anti-discrimination and privacy laws. Businesses should not refuse entry to patrons who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or because they are in an age group that has not had access to vaccination

STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE RULES:

Frequently asked questions about veterinary services and the COVID-19 pandemic

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. 

Physical health: General support:

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DISCLAIMER

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.

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