A worker at Newmarch House in Sydney's west has tested positive for a suspected case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, with families of residents at the aged care facility told of the infection on 2 January.
Newmarch House was the site of one of the deadliest COVID-19 clusters of Australia's first wave of the pandemic in 2020, and there are fears of history repeating itself.
Liz Lane was told the infected staff member worked in the wing which houses her elderly mother, Rose Davies, at the Anglicare-operated facility.
"It's crazy how concerned we are. We know after last year the residents are sitting ducks, and we said that last year," Ms Lane said.
"They are basically trapped there, waiting to get sick."
As , Ms Lane said she was more concerned than in previous waves of the virus.
Rose Davies is a resident at Sydney's Newmarch House aged care facility. Source: Supplied
The federal government's newly-imposed rules to address staffing pressures have seen isolation requirements change for healthcare workers who are close contacts of infected people.
"Last year I didn't feel [Mum] was as much at risk... because of the changes in regulations, we have staff coming in and we don't know what their Omicron status is, what their COVID status is," she said.
Under the newly-imposed guidelines, residential aged care facilities across Australia are encouraged to consider whether a worker's isolation would have a low or high impact on services.
In circumstances where a staff member's isolation would be disruptive, they may continue to work on-site, with additional PPE and mask-wearing requirements, in addition to reducing their work to a single facility.
They must also have rapid antigen tests on their first day since exposure, before being tested every 72 hours.
In a letter to residents' families and loved ones seen by SBS News, Anglicare reported the infected staff member is a close contact of another worker and a resident, who had both since tested negative but were in isolation.
"Our highest priority is the safety and wellbeing of residents and staff, while providing the best possible care to residents in the home," the letter reads.
"While we are waiting to receive specific instructions from the Public Health Unit, to safeguard all in the home, we have activated our Outbreak Management Plan.
All residents and staff at the facility are taking PCR tests. There are no changes to visits and social leave as of 2 January.
A statement from Anglicare to SBS News on Monday read: "Newmarch House does not have an outbreak. However, we do have staff that have been exposed because of community transmission, and we are taking all precautions necessary to protect residents."
Flowers left outside the entrance to Anglicare's Newmarch House in July, 2020. Source: AAP
The 2020 outbreak
The news comes more than 18 months after an outbreak in which 71 staff and residents were infected with COVID-19. Nineteen residents died with the virus, with COVID-19 confirmed as the cause of death in 17 of the cases.
The first case was detected on 11 April, 2020, with the outbreak declared over in July.
The Federal Government later commissioned an Inquiry into the 2020 outbreak at Newmarch House, with a final report released in August 2020.
Included in the report was a quote from a family member of one of the facility's residents; “So to be honest with you and I feel terrible to say it but nothing worked well from the outbreak … that's not to say, I have absolute gratitude for all of those workers who had the courage to turn up when they did.”
The report also noted "families expressed concerns about poor quality of care of their loved ones" during the outbreak. And that "there were numerous unsatisfactory experiences and instances of missed or delayed care resulting in adverse outcomes for some residents, in addition to prolific issues around communication."
