You will have seen or heard the changes relating to self isolation announced today.
With Phase 3 of the Omicron response, the key change is that it is only confirmed cases and their household contacts who need to self-isolate. Everyone else, including those who may have had close contact with the case, but aren’t in the household, should just monitor really closely for any symptoms of COVID-19. If your child has symptoms you should keep them home.
From tomorrow, anyone self isolating, who is NOT a household contact of a positive COVID case and has no symptoms, will be able to return to school.
You may have seen Dr Jin Russell in the media noting research from New South Wales about their recent Omicron outbreak showing that spread within the school setting is very low (less than 4% of cases at school infected someone else when at school). We have seen that in New Zealand too. This is why schools remain open at Red. It’s great for a child’s wellbeing and learning to be at school with their friends and school staff, and we believe we have robust systems in place to keep everyone as safe as possible when they are at school.
That said, as the number of cases grow, it is only natural that cases will appear in our school. We have really good systems in place to respond to this and to keep any spread of the virus – should it appear – to a minimum.
If anyone in your household is confirmed as having COVID-19, you will be asked to notify your close contacts yourself. Please get in touch with the school as soon as you can if your child has tested positive for COVID-19 either by phone 09 2996228 (8.30am - 3.00pm) or email office@ardmore.school.nz. Outside of the these hours email bpeterson@ardmore.school.nz or phone 021 0875 2401.
I will email families /whānau to let them know if there has been an infectious case in their child's class and ask you to monitor your child / tamariki for symptoms. Yesterday at a ZOOM Hui for local principals, a principal of a school where there have been a number of cases, advised us that the children who had tested positive for COVID -19, had mainly had sore tummies and headaches as their symptoms.
Noho ora mai / Stay well
Brigid Peterson
Tumuaki / Principal
Ardmore School
