It will soon be mandatory for workers in primary and community health services to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend their workplace.
The mandate covers workers in private provider facilities, including general practitioners, private nurse offices and consulting offices, pharmacies, dental centres, allied health facilities and private pathology centres.
This public health measure provides for a nationally consistent approach following advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
It complements the introduction of mandatory vaccinations for health care workers, and will help protect the most vulnerable people in the community.
From Monday 1 November 2021, workers will need to have had at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to access their workplace, bringing it in line with the Tier 2 requirement in the current Health Worker (Restrictions on Access) Directions (No 3).
Workers will need to be fully vaccinated by Wednesday 1 December 2021.
The directions provide exemptions for certain categories of employees, which include medical exemptions and other temporary exemptions. Immunisation medical exemption criteria is available from the Australian Government website (external link).
To book a COVID-19 vaccine and for more information, visit Roll up for WA (external link).
