COVID MANAGEMENT AT SCHOOL

2022

COVID MANAGEMENT AT ST AGNES' 2022

 

 

Rapid Testing, Management of Confirmed Cases and Household Contacts

 

Over the past two weeks, we have experienced a small number of positive cases in our school. I thank all families for following the guidelines and keeping your children at home if they are unwell.

 

Household Contacts

Household or household-like contacts must quarantine for seven days and are subject to testing on days 1 and 6 (either via rapid antigen or PCR test). Further detail on the requirements for each type of contact is available from the Victorian Government’s Checklist for COVID Contacts.

 

Steps if your child tests positive to COVID-19

 

Students who report a positive result must isolate for seven days and not attend school during that period and follow the steps below. A negative test is not required to return to school following completion of 7 days of isolation if there are no symptoms present.

 

1) If you tested positive using a rapid antigen test, you must report your result to the Victorian Government online, or call 1800 675 398. You don’t need to report your result if you tested positive from a PCR test. Read Reporting your result for more information.

 

2) Email Lachie Foott (lfoott@sahighett.catholic.edu.au or principal@sahighett.catholic.edu.au) to notify us child’s positive test, absence and to access learning materials for the 5 days they’ll be away.

 

Steps if your child is a school/classroom contact

If a child does test positive in your child’s classroom, the remainder of the class is not required to isolate.

1) If asymptomatic, other students should continue to attend school and monitor for symptoms. It is recommended that all continue with the twice weekly rapid antigen surveillance testing.

2) If symptomatic, a student must stay/return home, take a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if a rapid antigen testing kit is unavailable.

 

Please note:

- If a student is unwell they should not attend school

 

Post-infection

If a recently recovered COVID-19 case becomes a household or household-like contact of a confirmed case, they do not need to quarantine again if the re-exposure was less than 30 days since the recovered case’s symptom onset (or first positive test if asymptomatic).

Within this 30-day period, recovered cases:

● can continue to attend high-risk settings

● do not need to cease work or studies if re-exposed

● do not need to participate in surveillance testing as part of their employment or education if re-exposed.

 

Staff, contractors or students whose COVID-19 infections are outside the 30-day period are not considered exempt from quarantine and/or testing requirements. They must, if determined to be a contact of a positive case, follow the requirements for quarantine and/or testing that are applicable in the circumstances (either as household/household-like contacts, or workplace/educational facility contacts).

The information above is up to date as of the16th February 2022. Guidelines may change at any time and we will notify you of any changes to the procedures as they come out.