COVID-19 UPDATE

managing COVID-19 safe practices in term 2:

MY CHILD TESTED POSITIVE

• Isolate at home for 7 days (inclusive of weekends) and do not attend school during this period.
• Inform the school that your child has tested positive to COVID-19.
• NOTE: If a student or staff member tests positive through RA test, but doesn’t have symptoms it is recommended getting a PCR test within 48 hours and stay isolated at all times until they receive their result. If the subsequent PCR test is negative, the student or staff member can return to school.

MY CHILD IS A HOUSEHOLD CONTACT (BUT HASN'T TESTED POSITIVE)

• Household contacts can continue to come to school but must undertake additional safety measures:
• Undertake daily rapid antigen testing five times within the 7 days; 
• Wear a face covering when indoors (if aged 8 years and above or unless they have a valid exemption); 
• Are not permitted to visit hospitals or care facilities unless an exemption applies.
• They are recommended to avoid interaction with people at higher risk of severe disease from COVID-19.
• If they become symptomatic, children must return home or stay home and take a rapid antigen test, or get a PCR test if a rapid antigen testing kit unavailable.

RAPID ANTIGEN TESTS

NOTE: Testing regularly is the only way we can monitor the spread of Covid in our school community. While children mostly get very few symptoms if Covid positive, remember they can easily transmit the virus to others such as our teachers or grandparents. Teachers are extremely difficult to replace if they have to take a week's covid leave. This can lead to classes being split up across the remaining classrooms or a section of the school reverting to home learning.

• Free rapid antigen tests will continue to be available for all staff and students in Victorian schools for the first four weeks of Term 2, 2022. 
• Test your child twice a week (eg: Sunday night and Wednesday night).
• Parents must report a positive result to their school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification; this is so the school can record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms. 
• Students and staff who tested positive and completed their 7-day isolation period are not required to participate in the RAT screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. 
• In addition, if a staff member or student has recovered from COVID-19, they are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine if re-exposed to a case within 12 weeks of ending their isolation period.

MASKS & SAFE HYGIENE PRACTICES

• Masks are no longer worn indoors by children and adults. Children and adults who prefer to wear a mask are welcome to do so
• Children and adults do not come to school when they have cold / flu-like symptoms.
• Hand sanitize or wash your hands regularly to help keep everyone safe

VACCINATION

• Please consider the vaccination of your child. While most children have only mild symptoms from Covid, this is not true of all children, particularly those with underlying medical conditions.