The plan to reopen Victorian schools is to focus on three Vs: Ventilation, Vaccination and Vital COVID-Safe Steps, with COVID-19 vaccination to be a requirement for teachers and school staff.
Announcing the plan, Minister for Education, James Merlino said 51,000 air purification devices would be rolled out to all Government and low-fee non-Government schools from the start of Term 4 to remove potentially infectious particles from higher-risk areas, such as staff rooms, sick bays and music rooms.
Mr Merlino said additional funding had been made available for schools to purchase shade sails and create more outdoor learning spaces.
“Throughout the school holidays and Term 4, infrastructure audits, ventilation assessments and CO2 monitoring that has already started will continue in a sample of schools to identify any further actions that can be taken to make schools even safer,” Mr Merlino said.
“We are establishing a Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel to undertake further risk assessments of other environments, for example, early childhood settings and youth justice facilities, which will help inform future ventilation measures,” he said.
“These initiatives build on advice already issued to schools to increase fresh air flow into indoor spaces.”
Mr Merlino said that, based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, vaccination would be made a requirement of work for staff in schools and early childhood settings.
He said in order to work, all staff would be required to have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 18 October and be fully vaccinated by 29 November unless a medical exemption applied.
Mr Merlino said the Department of Education and Training would support principals to implement the requirement with all Government school staff to be entitled to a half-day of paid time off to get their vaccination.
The Minister said the feasibility of home antigen tests was to be explored in a small trail with school children and families, overseen by health experts, in anticipation of the tests being approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
“Masks will remain mandatory for secondary school students and all adults, helping to prevent transmission – and they are also strongly encouraged for primary school-aged children wherever possible,” Mr Merlino said.
