About fifteen nurses have already volunteered to go to Victoria to help with their COVID-19 outbreak, says the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
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On Thursday the government sent out an expression of interest form seeking nurses willing to go to Victoria to help manage the COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities.
About 1000 Victorian health care workers currently have COVID-19.
In other news:
On Sunday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced 17 more people had died due to COVID-19, 10 of which were linked to aged care homes.
Launceston based registered nurse and ANMF representative Kate Lee is already in Melbourne ahead of starting work on Monday.
She decided to go to Melbourne after seeing a post in a Facebook group about under staffing.
"I saw the cry out for help on a Facebook group that I am a part of and saw that they really needed assistance over here in the aged care setting," Mrs Lee said.
Mrs Lee said her grandmother is a resident in one of the aged care facilities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
"It sort of just hits home in that respect ... [I] just really wanted to come and help," she said.
She leaves behind a husband and two "fur babies" along with other extended family members.
Mrs Lee will be in Melbourne for a minimum of four weeks and will have to quarantine for two weeks upon her return to Tasmania.
Despite this she said it wasn't a particularly hard decision to make.
"It was [difficult] because it means leaving family for a minimum of six weeks and also the unknown of being over here," Mrs Lee said
"But also I wanted to get here to help, so [I'm] excited to be here to help."
ANMF Tasmanian branch secretary Emily Shepherd said the nurses should be commended for their service.
She said they are well prepared and their presence should be welcomed.
"It is absolutely commendable that nurses in Tasmania have really put themselves forward and offered to help out their Victorian colleagues," Ms Shepherd said.
"Their dedication to the nursing profession, their Victorian colleagues and obviously patients and residents in aged care is absolutely commendable and they should be congratulated for doing so."
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Jackson Worthington
General news reporter with a special interest in social justice, the economy and family violence. Jackson.Worthington@austcommunitymedia.com.au
General news reporter with a special interest in social justice, the economy and family violence. Jackson.Worthington@austcommunitymedia.com.au
