COVID-19 Phase 3 Update
24th February 2022
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
We have been very fortunate to have had no confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in our school community.
Last night, our country moved to Phase 3 in our COVID-19 response. This changes our protocols as contact definitions change to reflect the projected rapid rise in cases.
Clarifications from https://covid19.govt.nz/prepare-and-stay-safe/about-covid-19/our-response-to-omicron/
IF YOU (student) TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
If you test positive for COVID-19, you will need to isolate for 10 days. If anyone in your family is confirmed as having COVID-19, you will be asked to notify your close contacts yourself. Please get in touch with us as soon as you can if your child has tested positive for COVID-19.
Transmission of COVID-19 is still most likely to happen in your home – so please keep doing all those good things to keep your whānau safe. Wash your hands, get lots of fresh air, cover any coughs and sneezes, clean surfaces regularly, and seek advice if anyone is not feeling well. And please wear a mask when you are out and about. There is information online to help your family prepare to isolate if you need to.
The most important advice we can give to keep your whānau safe is to act as if you have COVID-19. More than a third of people who have COVID-19 will not have any symptoms if they have had three doses of the vaccine. Please think about who you visit and what health measures you can put in place to keep everyone as safe as possible.
You can leave isolation after 10 days — you do not need a negative test.
CLOSE CONTACTS
At Phase 3, close contacts no longer need to isolate — unless they have symptoms. If you get a notification from your workplace, school or through the NZ COVID Tracer app that you are a close contact, you should monitor your symptoms for 10 days.
If you live with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, you are considered a Household Contact and will need to isolate for 10 days. You must get a test on Day 3 and Day 10 of your isolation. If you develop symptoms you should get a test sooner. If you are a Household Contact and you test positive, you will need to isolate for 10 days.
From Friday 25th February, if you are currently a close contact and are part way through your isolation, you do not need to complete your 10 days isolation and you will be permitted to leave. You do not need to get a negative COVID-19 test.
Please check your child each day for COVID-19 symptoms prior to sending them to school.
Please do not send students with COVID-19 symptoms to school. If a student becomes unwell our normal sickbay process will occur. This generally means a parent will be contacted and asked to collect their child.
Based on this new Phase change and our request to check your child daily for symptoms, no school-based close contact notifications will occur.
In summary, if you have not tested positive, you are symptom free and you are not a household contact of someone who is positive, you can come to school. Otherwise you must follow the isolation and testing protocols.
We will endeavour to remain open for instruction as normal throughout the coming weeks.
Kind regards
Peter Brooks
Principal
Article added: Friday 25 February 2022
