School closures due to positive COVID-19 cases are to be minimised under changes to the school COVID settings now in effect.
Announcing the changes, Premier, Dominic Perrottet said a new category of ‘education close contact’ had been established to allow students exposed to a positive case of COVID-19 in their school or care service to return to school following a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and through the use of rapid antigen home testing for seven days.
“These changes are about getting students back into the classroom and to face-to-face learning for the remainder of the year,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Close contacts from household and community exposures to a positive case of COVID-19 will still be required to isolate in line with NSW Health requirements,” he said.
“In line with community settings, schools will no longer need to close while contact tracing occurs due to successful cohorting of year groups on school sites.”
Mr Perrottet said the only exception may be if there were multiple cases at a school or complex settings in place.
The Premier said the changes were made following recent Doherty Institute and NSW Health advice, and had come into effect on Monday (29 November).
“NSW Health has also advised that schools do not need to close for deep environmental cleans as the enhanced cleaning in place at schools is sufficient,” he said.
“Mask settings remain the same, meaning they are required for all staff and high school students, and are recommended for primary school students.”
Mr Perrottet said further restrictions on music had also been lifted, with instruments that relied on breath and singing and chanting allowed to go ahead outdoors, within cohorts, and in line with other COVID-safe school settings.
