• COVID Transition (Face Covering) Directions (No 2) – This identifies the state-wide requirements for wearing of masks in indoor spaces.
• COVID Transition (Public Health and Social Measures) Directions – These include the two square metre rule and requirement for a COVID safety plan for Local Government venues such as community halls, gyms, recreation and fitness centres, museums and galleries and youth centres.
• Proof of Vaccination Direction (No 4) – The updated Proof of Vaccination Directions removes bottleshops from the list of specified vaccination venues meaning patrons can now enter bottleshops without providing proof of vaccination.
• COVID Transition (Critical Worker) Directions – Please see further information below.

• The COVID Transition (Critical Worker) Directions.
• An online system to register critical worker roles.
• Two FAQs documents:
  • COVID-19 coronavirus: Critical worker furloughing policy frequently asked questions.
  • COVID-19 coronavirus: Critical worker furloughing registration frequently asked questions.

1. A critical worker is someone whose role cannot be undertaken at home and performs work that is:
   1. critical to the COVID-19 response, or 
   2. critical to the continuation of critical services that prevent significant harm (including loss of life, catastrophic impacts to safety or welfare or lack of access to essential goods) to any person or the community, or 
   3. necessary to the safe continuation of services in an eligible industry (see below) or provides specialist skills in an essential industry. 

2. More information on the definition of critical workers in a very high caseload environment can be found here but employers will need to assess whether someone is a critical worker using the definition in the COVID Transition (Critical Work) Directions.

3. Employers can now register their critical worker roles online here. The purpose of registering critical workers is so that critical workers that:

1. are an asymptomatic close contact,
2. are required to isolate, and
3. have not returned a positive PCR or rapid antigen test or otherwise been diagnosed with COVID-19 – i.e. is not a diagnosed person under the COVID Transition (Testing and Isolation) Directions (No 2)), may temporarily attend work during their isolation period to alleviate workforce shortages. Put simply it allows critical workers with a limited exemption from a requirement to isolate where the critical worker is an asymptomatic close contact.  

4. For the purposes of the exemption from isolation, the definition of critical worker does not relate to essential or critical workers as defined for mandatory vaccination requirements or previous lockdowns.

WALGA is hosting a joint webinar with Samantha Maddern, Partner, Mills Oakley to present on COVID-19 vaccinations for employees and key considerations for employers when deciding whether to implement, and how to implement, a COVID-19 vaccination policy for current and new staff.

If you have any questions about these webinars, please contact the WALGA Employee Relations team on employeerelations@walga.asn.au.