Covid Updates 01/12/21
Updated Management of Close Contacts
The Victorian Government has announced important changes to the management of COVID-19 cases and close contacts in schools and other settings as we reach the 90% double dose milestone for eligible people in the coming days.
This means that students who are exposed persons (previously identified as primary close contacts in education settings) from an exposure at school, no longer have to quarantine for between seven and 14 days. They can instead return immediately to school after providing evidence of a negative result from a standard PCR test to our school.
In exceptional circumstances the Department of Health may determine that close contacts in significant school outbreaks are still required to quarantine for seven days. In this scenario, students will be notified directly by the Department of Health of any additional quarantine arrangements.
The department of Health will comunicate the following if an outbreak happens.
As your child is currently in quarantine as a contact, you are now able to send your child back to school if you follow these steps:
- your child isn’t a household contact and is instead in quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure at a school setting
- your child must get a standard PCR test at your local COVID-19 testing site. If the PCR test is negative, please provide the results to our school
- your child can then return to school
- your child will be strongly recommended to take a rapid antigen test at home on days each school weekday morning until you run out of tests. These testing kits will be available from testing centres from Monday 22 November.
Rapid antigen tests are strongly recommended for those students who have returned a negative PCR result and return to school.
They are a great tool for families to use to keep our school safe and ensure that positive cases are identified at the earliest possible time. You will get a pack of five tests and you should use them each day before your child attends school until you run out.
Families should also use a rapid antigen test whenever their child is visiting a high-risk location or setting during this period. This includes visiting elderly or immunocompromised relatives or friends.
Thank you for supporting this important approach, which will help keep our school safe and reduce the disruption to the entire school community.
Covid Safe School Procedures
Covid Safe School Procedures
NOTE: Whilst most restrictions have eased state wide as of last Thursday November 18th, face masks are still required for school visitors, staff and grade 3-6 students within the school building.
- Masks are required for Grades 3-12 students on the bus.
- Visitors are welcome back to the school in line with vaccination requirements.
- Please keep children home if they are not well.
- Students aged between 12 and 15 who are not fully vaccinated will be able to attend camps, excursions, graduations, and other school activities held at open premises that are also used by other schools or patrons from Tuesday 23 November. This exception to the current Directions will apply only to school-organised activities when at least one teacher is present.
- Changes to management of cases and close contacts means that non-household contacts will now only be required to quarantine until they complete a standard PCR test and receive a negative result.
- DHHS will no longer send a text to confirm the quarantine requirements of contacts. This applies to all students and staff who are identified as a school-based contact (formerly primary close contacts or PCCs).
- All contacts (staff and students) can return to school after they have provided evidence of a negative PCR test to their school.
- All contacts should follow the strong recommendation that they complete five days of rapid antigen testing each.
Entering St Patrick's School Building
All visitors, parents attending school, including for drop off and pick up must adhere to physical distancing, density limits, face mask requirements and practice respiratory etiquette and good hand hygiene.
Parents & visitors who enter school buildings must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by today 29 November 2021 or have a valid medical exception with the following limited exceptions:
- When attending to administer medical treatment to their own child when the treatment cannot be administered by the school.
- When attending to collect their child who is unwell and cannot leave the school building unaccompanied by their parent/carer.
- When attending for a momentary period that does not involve any sustained contact with staff or students, for example, to collect a completed art project or similar.
If a parent, guardian, or visitor will be in close proximity to staff and students and/or on a school site for a period longer than just to drop off and pick up students, they are required to check-in with a QR Code and have their vaccination status verified. (Victorian Government Requirements.)