Close Contact
Dear Parents and Carers
You may have heard the government announcement yesterday that students are no longer required to isolate if they are deemed close contacts. As of today, Thursday 9 March, students who have been deemed as close contact may return to school if they are not displaying any symptoms and have returned a negative RAT test.
Students who have a household member who has tested positive to Covid are still required to isolate.
If you have any queries around your child returning to school please contact the front office.
We look forward to seeing all of our students back at school tomorrow.
Kind Regards
Anthony Middleton
Please see below for full details on the announcement and Schools Procedures for Transitioning to a very high case load.
As you may be aware, the State Government has announced that Western Australia will move to very high caseload settings from 12.01 am Thursday 10 March.
We continue to follow the latest WA Health advice.
Under very high caseload setting, students who are asymptomatic close contacts (other than those who are household close contacts) may now:
· continue attending school;
· attend before school care or after school care;
· attend school-based sporting or cultural training, practice, or events organised through the school and held immediately before or after school at their school; and
· travel between the student’s usual place of residence and their school.
At all other times, asymptomatic close contacts should quarantine for seven days and get tested. As with other close contacts, children who are identified as close contacts should be tested on Day 1 and Day 6 (if a PCR test) or 7 (if a RAT).
These arrangements will not apply to children who are ‘household close contacts’ or who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Students are considered close contacts if they are:
A household member of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infectious period; or
Someone who has had close personal interaction with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period, including:
At least 15 minutes face to face contact where a mask was not worn by the exposed person and the person with COVID-19; or
Greater than two hours within a small room or a classroom environment with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period, where masks have been removed for this period by the exposed person and the person with COVID-19 (note: others wearing masks in this scenario would not be a contact); or
Someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact.
An asymptomatic person means they have no COVID-19 symptoms.
If a member of your household is COVID-19 positive, then the whole household are deemed household close contacts and the testing and isolation protocols apply. If your child is unwell, they should stay at home and get tested.
As always, our priority is to continue face-to-face learning. If your child is required to isolate, we will provide them with learning to do at home. If your child’s teacher is required to isolate, your child may have a different teacher for periods of time. In some cases, we may need to rearrange extra-curricular school activities to ensure our teachers are in classrooms teaching.
For more information on very high caseload protocols, visit wa.gov.au.
Thank you for your understanding as we take the necessary steps to keep our school safe and open for learning.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the school on 9263 5100
Close contact definitions and testing and isolation protocols
Transition to a very high caseload for public schools
Background
Keeping schools open and safe is important for students, staff, parents/carers and the broader Western Australian economy.
The school based very high caseload protocols are critical as part of the overall strategy to:
· maximise face-to-face learning and student attendance at school; and
· facilitate a quick return to school for asymptomatic close contacts, school staff and students following exposure to COVID-19, under the critical worker protocols.
In a very high caseload environment, a close contact includes:
· A household close contact: a household member or intimate partner of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infectious period.
· Someone who has had close contact with a person in their infectious period, including:
o At least 15 minutes face-to-face contact where a mask was not worn by both the person with COVID-19 and the exposed person
o Greater than two hours within a small room or classroom environment, where masks have been removed for this period by both the person with COVID-19 and the exposed person (note: others wearing masks in this scenario would not be a contact)
*NOTE: the contact can occur either inside or outside school.
o Someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact.
Testing and isolation protocols
Under very high caseload, specific settings apply to schools. This includes the ability for some asymptomatic close contacts to return to school to work or study.
Protocol
Staff and students- Confirmed positive case
Isolate for a minimum of 7 full days; if symptoms still present, continue isolating until symptoms clear; or if no symptoms after Day 7, leave isolation.
*No exit testing or clearance is required.
Staff and Students-
Symptomatic close contact
Quarantine for a full seven days either from the date of symptom onset or date of exposure to case, whichever is later; and
Take a PCR test or RAT on Day 1 or as soon as possible
· if positive – follow confirmed COVID-19 case guideline
· if negative PCR, continue to quarantine
· if negative RAT, continue to quarantine and take a repeat RAT in 24 hours
o if RAT positive – follow confirmed COVID-19 case guideline
o if RAT negative – continue to quarantine
If at Day 7, no new household members have tested positive – take a RAT again on Day 7
· If positive, follow confirmed COVID-19 case guideline
· If negative, leave quarantine after Day 7
Students – asymptomatic close contacts (other than household close contacts)-
Continue attending school, if no symptoms.
Students who are a a close contact, other than a household close contact, can continue to attend school under a modified quarantine arrangement.
Take a PCR test or a RAT on Day 1 or as soon as possible:
· if positive – follow confirmed COVID-19 case guideline
· if negative return to school. The student is allowed to attend:
- school;
- out of school care; and
- sporting or cultural training, practice or events organised through the relevant school and held immediately before or after school on the school grounds, travelling between the student's usual place of residence and the place where the activity above takes place.
· Otherwise is required to isolate.
Take a PCR test on Day 6 or a RAT on Day 7:
· if positive – follow confirmed positive case guideline. All positive RATs must be reported to WA Health via www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/ratregister.
· if negative – no further action required.
When students return to school, principals are not required to confirm any evidence of testing and/or a negative test result.
Note: If symptoms develop, leave school to isolate and take a RAT or PCR test.
· If PCR test is negative - isolate until symptoms resolve.
· If RAT is negative – take a repeat RAT in 24 hours and continue to isolate until symptoms resolve.
For either of the above, if the test/tests are negative, and are no longer symptomatic, return to school.
Students - asymptomatic household close contact –
Staff without a critical worker exemption - asymptomatic close contact
Students and staff that are a close household contact of a confirmed case are unable to attend school. They must quarantine for a full 7 days from the time of the positive case’s test; and take a PCR test or a RAT on Day 1 or as soon as possible:
· if RAT positive – follow confirmed COVID-19 case guideline
· if negative PCR or RAT, continue to quarantine
All positive RATs must be reported to WA Health via www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/ratregister.
Take a PCR test on Day 6 or a RAT on Day 7:
· if positive – follow confirmed positive case guideline.
All positive RATs must be reported to WA Health via www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/ratregister.
· if negative – and no new household members have tested positive – quarantine ends after Day 7, and monitor for symptoms.
When students return to school, principals are not required to confirm any evidence of testing and/or a negative test result.
If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for a symptomatic close contact.
Staff- Critical worker - asymptomatic close contact
Continue to work*.
Take daily RAT for 7 days.
Isolate when not at work, work in a surgical mask, travel to and from work alone, if possible.
Note: If symptoms develop, leave school to isolate and take a RAT or PCR test. Follow the protocol for symptomatic close contacts.
*Critical workers who are close contacts should only continue to work if the school is unable to identify relief staff and in mutual agreement with the critical worker.
For current Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine (TTIQ) information, please refer to: