On this page you will find useful information in Auslan and links to resources on Coronavirus (COVID19). It will be updated as new information is made available, so please return regularly
Covid-19 Auslan videos and Transcripts
The following link will take you to Covid-19 Auslan videos and Transcripts
Department of Social Services
Covid Crisis and some resources that might be helpful for you. See below excellent site set up by Australian Government for people with disabilities. Lots of advice on what to do if you need help or get sick, several resources already in Auslan.
Referrals for People with Disability and Their Supporters About Coronavirus Covid 19
Do you have a question about coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Do you want to know what it means for you?
Do you need help because things have changed for you?
Do you want to know how you can support someone you live with, care for, or support?
Help for you is here.
Contact the Disability Information Helpline on 1800 643 787
It’s available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm (AEST) and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 7pm (AEST). It’s not available on national public holidays.
You can contact the Helpline in the following ways:
Phone (free call): 1800 643 787
If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can also call the National Relay Service on 133 677
Live chat: click on this, livechat(link is external) then on the button in the bottom right corner.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) accessible resources
- Coronavirus – What is it? – Easy Read
- Coronavirus 5 things to do right now – Easy Read
- Coronavirus – What you need to know – Easy Read
- Coronavirus – FAQs – Easy Read
- Coronavirus – Social distancing – Easy Read
- Coronavirus – Staying at home – Easy Read
- Auslan – About the Disability Information Helpline
- Auslan – Coronavirus (COVID-19) accessible resources
- Auslan – Who else can you talk to?
- Auslan – Looking after yourself
- Auslan – Support for your situation
- Auslan – Helping others
Looking after yourself
If you feel unwell Use the Symptom Checker to see if you need to get medical help or be tested.
Or you can contact the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080.
If you (or someone you know) are having a medical emergency, call 000. For example – if you are having trouble breathing.
Support for your situation
Feeling alone? Worried? Anxious? Please contact the Disability Information Helpline if something is worrying you on 1800 643 787.
For example, contact the Helpline if:
- your support worker has not turned up
- your provider has stopped services
- it’s hard for you to get food, groceries, medications or other essential items
- someone close to you has symptoms of coronavirus
- you are feeling really upset
- anything else is worrying you.
COVID-19 Department of Health WA
Western Australia is working closely with the Commonwealth and state and territory jurisdictional governments to respond appropriately to the outbreak of a novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
This is a rapidly changing situation. Updates will be provided as any new information becomes available. Please use the following link regularly to ensure the information you have is up to date: WA Departmnent of Health
NDIS and disaster response
Use this link for latest updates on NDIS and disaster response
Use this link forNDIS Covid-19 Update in Auslan
Covid-19 Updates (Centrelink)
Centrelink is currently VERY busy … some useful information to help assist you and Centrelink.
- If you have Newstart or other payments, DO NOT contact Centrelink – your extra payment will automatically arrive.
- If you are getting paid, not yet receive extra payment, please WAIT for 1 or 2 days to connect.
- If you have lost your job and need to apply payment ASAP, you can; Go online and try to apply through MyGov ASAP, Try again when system is not busy. Government will backpay your claim, you don’t need to lodge full claim immediately, but will need later; or, In person, go to Centrelink and please practice Social Distancing; or, Make a call to 132 850 via National Relay Service (expect queue for NRS and Centrelink). DONT GIVE UP … Keep trying until you can lodge claim.
Public Auslan video about Coronavirus (COVID19)
Public Auslan video about Coronavirus (COVID19) in Auslan – information about the virus and what to do.
Introduction:
Information provided is up to date on 2nd March 2020.
Video from Darlene Thornton.
Link to Auslan video about Coronavirus
Transcript
Coronavirus (COVID-19), explained by Darlene Thornton in Auslan on 2 March 2020.
There is a new virus emerged recently from China in a city named Wuhan, the first case was only last December, and the authorities tried to contain this virus without any luck.
Now coronavirus (known as CV for this transcript) is spread out around the world, affecting over 60 countries with about 3,000 deaths in total.
CV has its sign name – fist with open five on one end of the fist, and the handshape ‘five’ moves from left to right – this represent the corona, then change to ‘spread-out’ for the second part of the sign name as virus. This is the visual representative of the CV.
Since the news and social media like Facebook went crazy over the CV, which make people worried and starting to panic. Many are asking what to do to prevent from getting CV.
Before I explain what to do about CV, I want to explain the differences between CV and common cold or flu.
Common colds/flu – usually have body ache, tired, fever, runny nose, wet cough and phlegm to spit out.
CV – mostly with fever, sore throat, short of breath or hard to breath normal with dry cough.
If you’re not sure what your illness could be, it is best to stay home and call your doctor (through NRS or by a family member or friend) and explain. They will then instruct you what to do next. Please follow their instructions to make it easier for everyone.
CV is actually more risk for people aged around 70 years old and over, since their immunity system is usually compromised with other serious health conditions, such as heart or other.
Surprisingly, it’s not a big risk for children. For people between children and old people, it varies however usually mild. Unless they have other serious health conditions then this could make them sicker.
It is important to remember that CV is a very new virus, so medical people and scientists are still trying to work out how it works and how to stop it. The information about CV will be changing a lot for next weeks or months, so it is best to go to your state Health website (such as WA Health, NSW Health, QLD Health, etc) to check any latest information on CV.
Now on about how reduce the risk of getting CV yourself.
The main thing is to keep good hygiene – wash your hands all the time!
It is recommended that we use running warm water with soap, wet hands then turn tap off and put soap on hands. Rub, wash and ensure you’ve checked space between fingers and nails. After about 10 to 20 seconds of washing your hands, put under running warm water to rinse, then dry your hands properly with either clean towel or paper towel. You can use air dryer but be sure that your hands are dry when you’re done. CV can live on surface (of your skin or on handle, door, table, etc, for 10 minutes before it dies off. Yes, 10 minutes!
Can you imagine where your hands touch for the last 20 minutes – when you go to shops, touching doors, handles, trolley, bags, or money! That is a lot of opportunities for CV to travel around fast.
CV actually prefer to be cold and wet, not warm/hot and dry…
You can use hand sanitisers, but they are not 100% reliable like soap and water. It is better to use hand sanitiser if you’re not near anywhere to wash your hands. If you have one, please check that it has 60% or over alcohol in it.
About the face masks, it is not that great. Because of the gaps between mask and face, CV can travel around it.
CV is an airborne virus, meaning it travels through air by the droplets – when you sneeze, the droplets of your sneeze shoot out and hang in air for a while. That’s how CV travels.
So, when you sneeze, please do it in your elbow if there are no tissues nearby. When you use tissues, please put them in bins straightaway.
It is good idea to stand away from anyone between 1 to 3 metres apart.
About the face masks, it is ok if you’re sick yourself and doesn’t want to spread it around, or if you already have other serious health problem and wants to reduce the risk. Just remember that they are not the best thing to prevent 100% from CV.
One important thing to remember – about CV being able to live for 10 minutes on surface. This means you need to stop yourself from touching your face until you have washed your hands. CV will travel fast from anywhere on your face into your mouth or nose.
CV spreads through breathing which goes into lungs then make you very sick. So, it is important to try to keep hands clean, don’t touch your face and remember to keep space from others.
If you are feeling sick and you are not sure if it is cold or CV, please call your doctor to check and do what they tell you to do. Do not go to medical centre before letting them know as they need to prepare to see you in case you may have CV.
Be sensible, and be careful with your health and follow the instructions from government and health department about CV. The main goal for the government is to contain and stop CV from spreading around in Australia.
Last note – don’t be racist, it is not Chinese’s fault that CV developed. CV doesn’t care who or where you are from, it just wanted to live in your lungs to make you sick.
I hope this info helps you to know what to do about CV.
Covid-19 handwashing advice described for people who are blind
You should wash your hands after going to the toilet, before preparing food and before and after eating, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, after touching animals, before touching your face, and when you return home after being out.
Basically you want to wash your hands thoroughly using either liquid or bar soap – they both work just as well – for around 20 seconds or as long as it would take to sing Happy Birthday, through twice.
Here are the ten steps to follow:
- Turn on the tap and wet your hands. Turn off the tap.
- Apply enough soap to cover your hands.
- Rub your hands together lengthways palm to palm.
- Interlace your fingers and rub your palms together from side to side.
- Place your right palm on the back of your left hand, interlacing your fingers and rub your hands up and down against each other lengthways. Repeat with your left palm on the back of your right hand.
- To clean your fingertips and nails: point your elbows out to the sides. Hold your left hand in front of you across your body with the palm facing up. Place your right hand palm down on top of your left in the opposite direction. With palms together, slide your hands slowly apart until the tips of your fingers touch the bottom finger joints on the other hand. Roll your fingers in together to make opposite facing interlocking fists, knuckles fitting snugly into the palm of the other hand. Rub the tips and nails of your fingers firmly into the palm and fingers of the other hand.
- Clasp your left thumb in your right fist and rotate to clean the thumb including the nail. Repeat with the other thumb.
- Clasp your left wrist in your right hand and rotate to wash the whole wrist. Repeat with the other wrist.
- Turn the tap back on and rub your hands together firmly under the running water. The friction helps to remove oils and therefore viruses and bacteria.
- Shake off excess water and dry your hands on a clean single use towel using firm lengthwise towel strokes. Use the towel to turn off the tap.