Coronavirus

• As always anyone who is unwell should not be at school or at their early learning service. If you have a particular concern about any child, student or staff member, please urge parents or the staff member to contact Healthline at 0800 611 116 or their GP for medical advice. Healthline has translators and interpreters available 24/7 in 150 languages and they do have Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff available.
   
• If a student still attends school while showing symptoms the Principal of a state school can preclude them if they believe on reasonable grounds they may have a communicable disease (Section 19 Education Act). The student has to stay away for the infectious period of the specific disease. For private schools, Section 19 of the Education Act does not apply. Principals can request that a student with an infectious disease or is suspected of having an infectious disease, does not attend.
   
• You can request that a staff member with an infectious disease or is suspected of having an infectious disease, does not attend.
   
• For any staff member or student who may be at high risk of exposure because they have recently been to China or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with the virus, I encourage you to ask that the staff member or parent/caregiver of the student delay the start of their school year for 14 days and voluntarily stay away.
   
• If you haven’t already done so you need to contact your parent communities to share this and any relevant information. Please keep an eye on our website, as we will be updating this as new information is received.