28 Jan 2020
Dear Parents/Carers
Further to our recent communication on the Novel Coronavirus and meeting with other local Principals and the Director of Education, I would like to update you on this afternoon’s announcement from the NSW Departments of Health and Education.
It is recommended that any student who was in China over the past 14 days should NOT return to school this week, as the coronavirus’ incubation period can be as long as two weeks.
Students who returned to Australia more than 14 days ago and have shown no symptoms should be able to return to school this week.
In addition, and as previously advised staff and students should be excluded from work and school if they are a:
· Confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus – students will be excluded until medically cleared.
· Close contact of a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus – exclude for 14 days since last contact with the confirmed case.
If in doubt please speak with your doctor.
Staff or students who have recently returned from overseas and are well, and are not close contacts of a confirmed case, are able attend work or school as normal.
Close contact is defined as living in the same household, 15 minutes face-to-face contact with a person with confirmed coronavirus in any setting, or sharing a closed space with a person with confirmed coronavirus for more than 2 hours.
Please be assured that the Ministry of Health has processes in place to identify any close contacts of cases confirmed in Australia and will advise the school of any confirmed cases.
Consistent with current guidelines, students who are unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. In accordance with our current practice if any child becomes unwell we will implement our infection control guidelines and follow the advice provided by the Ministry of Health as appropriate.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep you up to date on this matter.
Further information and updates are available via NSW Health website;
Factsheet: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
FAQs: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus-faqs.aspx
Yours sincerely
Monica Cidem
Principal
28/01/2020