Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Sending Home Sick Students

As the impact of the virus on children can be quite mild there may be a tendency to continue attending school and hence increase the risk of infecting others. This is in contrast to SARS and Swine, where most people were quite unwell if infected. The advice from Health is that schools should be very strong on sending home students who have the slightest sign of illness. This is not a time for soldiering on with coughs and colds.

Hygiene 

Good hygiene remains the best protective measure against the spread of the virus:

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water or hand sanitiser (for 20 seconds).
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a tissue (dispose tissue into the bin) and then wash hands thoroughly.
• Avoid close contact with anyone displaying cold or flu-like symptoms and stay away from others if you are unwell.

To ensure the continued health and wellbeing of our students, staff and school communities, the following update is provided in relation to COVID-19 (previously referred to as Novel Coronavirus). This information has been provided by Catholic Schools NSW in consultation with NSW Departments of Education and Health. The following recommendations should be followed in both our NSW and ACT schools.

Effective 1 March 2020 the Federal Government has issued a travel ban on foreigners coming to Australia from Iran. Only Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran will be allowed entry to Australia and from 1 March they are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days after departing Iran consistent with the restrictions for those entering from China. Additionally, Australians have been advised NOT to travel to Iran.

The updated advice from the NSW Government for parents and affected staff is:
* Any student or staff member who has been in, or transited through, mainland China (not just Hubei province) or has been in Iran is excluded from work, school or child care services for 14 days from the date they left mainland China or Iran (as the COVID-19 incubation period can be as long as two weeks).
* Any confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded until they are medically cleared to return.
* Close contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 will be excluded for 14 days since last contact with the confirmed case.
* Students and staff who have returned to Australia from mainland China or Iran more than 14 days ago and have shown no symptoms are able to return to school.

The NSW Ministry of Health has processes to identify any close contacts of cases confirmed in Australia. Advice about not attending school would be provided to these close contacts by the NSW Ministry of Health.

Consistent with our current guidelines, staff and students unwell with respiratory illness should remain at home until symptoms resolve. Further information on COVID-19 is also available from NSW Health.