COVID-19 Update

The Victorian Government has announced some important changes to COVIDSafe measures for schools that will apply from the start of Term 2.

The updated School Operations Guide and COVID-19 resources are now available on the Policy and Advisory Library and include the following information:

Face masks

From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in grades 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk.

Screening requirements

Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. This was previously 8 weeks.

Household contacts

Students and staff who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are no longer required to quarantine. They can return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times within their 7-day period and wear face masks indoors if they are aged 8 and above unless they have a valid exemption. 

If any household contact returns a positive RAT result during this period, they must isolate for 7 days and not attend school.

Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools

Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

RAT screening program extension reminder

The supply of RATs will continue for the first 4 weeks of this term. The screening recommendations remain the same:

• specialist schools – recommended to test 5 days a week on each school day due to the higher risk of severe illness for medically vulnerable children.