02 May 2022
Dear Parent/Carer
The announcement to ease the isolation requirements for close contacts was made on 20 April 2022. This will enable students and staff who are close contacts and have no symptoms to continue to attend school if they follow guidelines agreed with NSW Health.
Staff and students who have had confirmed COVID-19 in the last 12 weeks do not have to comply with the following guidelines if they become a household or close contact and are not required to self-isolate or test unless they develop new COVID-19 symptoms.
Close contacts attending school will need to adhere to the following in addition to the NSW Health Guidelines https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/management/household-contacts.
· Parents must notify the school if their child/children are intending to return under this provision.
· Students & staff should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 school days.
· Students & staff (if in a secondary school setting) must wear a mask indoors except when eating or exercising.
· No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.
· No apprentices, trainees or students on placement or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to attend settings identified as high risk by NSW Health (healthcare, aged care, disability care or correctional facilities)
· Any visitor to a school site who is a close contact is required to advise the school that they are a close contact before they come on site. These visitors should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times.
The NSW DoE support unit guideline regarding close contacts does not apply at our school as it is only for when there are vulnerable students on health care plans.
Staff and students cannot attend school if they are showing any symptoms of COVID-19. If symptoms occur at any time, your child should not attend school and should undertake a rapid antigen test (RAT).
If the test comes back negative for COVID-19, the student should still not return to school until either:
· The student no longer has any symptoms, or
· A medical certificate is provided to the school confirming that symptoms are explained by another diagnosis (such as hay fever)
It is important that students do not attend school if they are unwell, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19. Rapid antigen tests can produce false negative results and symptoms of other illnesses can also be similar to COVID-19, including flu, the common cold and stomach bugs. Health advice is that students who are sick should always stay home to rest and recover and avoid putting other students and staff at risk of getting sick.
If a student or staff member receives a positive RAT result, they need to:
· record the positive RAT result through the Service NSW websiteExternal link or Service NSW appExternal link.
· notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR result as soon as possible.
· follow NSW Health adviceExternal link to isolate for 7 days.
Registering a positive RAT with Service NSW is a requirement of the Public Health Order and helps NSW Health track COVID-19 in schools and address any public health issues early on if required.
Additional delivery of RATs will be provided for students and staff who are identified as close contacts and are returning to school.
Beyond the department's provision of RATs, symptomatic students and staff should continue to access PCR and store-purchased RATs.
Our school will continue to ensure our layered COVID-smart measures are in place, including vaccinations, maximising ventilation in learning spaces, continued good hand hygiene practices and enhanced cleaning.
Thank you for your continued support during this school term.
For further information please refer to Advice for families (nsw.gov.au).
Kind regards,
Grant Shepherd
Principal