Mrs Lesley Lewis1
1Department Of Health, Melbourne, Australia
Methods: Consideration of the alpine resort environment identified unique characteristics increasing infection risks related to tourist business functions, and a transient population that could further transmit infection into other regions. Strategic analysis identified key planning focus areas including complicating factors of the environment, extreme weather conditions and remote locations. In addition to limited staffing capacity, resource mobilizations, interrupted mountain communications, compact public spaces and shared accommodation settings with limited capacity to physically distance.
Results: Planning and preparation reviewed outbreak risk, considered available resources measures that would be required to identify and respond to an outbreak in this setting with consideration to public safety and meeting regulatory requirements.
Conclusion: This process required a multidisciplinary approach to implementing infection prevention and control policies and principles in challenging and changing environments.
Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to lifestyles globally. As the rate of infection increased, nations implemented public health strategies to slow the spread of disease; and mitigate pressure on fragile health and social systems.
With public health measures causing tension between public health needs, lifestyle freedoms, and economic needs. When the assessment of risk against public safety permitted the easing of restrictions it was possible to commence planning for opening of the alpine region.
Planning moved to identifying high risk industries and implementing risk mitigation plans. As part of this process review of international experience identified alpine resorts to have increased risk of outbreaks.
Biography: Lesley is an Infection Prevention and Control consultant with significant experience in public, private and residential aged care settings. Lesley is a regional infection control consultant supporting the 15 acute public health services in northeast Victoria. During the pandemic response Lesley has been working on secondment to the Department of Health as an IPC Knowlege Lead in the Infection Prevention Control Advice and Strategy (IPCAS) program.
Lesley is a recipient of prestigious SHEA international ambassador award.
Skiing the pandemic curve with infection prevention in the snowfields