Covid-19: masks in schools ‘set to ease’ as coronavirus chiefs set to review education mandates

The state’s teachers’ union warns the scrapping of masks in schools won’t be welcomed by everyone but students have told of their joy at ditching them.

Students are rejoicing at the idea of removing “annoying and suffocating” mask mandates in South Australian schools from as early as next week.

The state’s Emergency Management Council will on Tuesday meet to review rules that require students in years 7-12 and their teachers to wear masks.

It is understood the state is on track to drop the rules by next week.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the mask mandate was a key agenda item in the EMC meeting.

“I would like the mask mandate to be dropped in schools … I think it’s difficult for students to be learning in that environment, it’s not natural,” he said.

“So if we can do that in a safe way that would be a good thing.”

Blackfriars Priory School prefect and year 12 student Cooper Smith, 17, was relieved at the idea of not having to wear a mask.

“I get the purpose of them but they’ve always just felt very suffocating, annoying and distracting,” he said.

“It’s going to be great to not have to wear them, not having to carry them around all the time.”

Blackfriars students Daniel Heath (Head Prefect) and Cooper Smith (Prefect) happy mask mandates will end soon in schools. Picture: Tom Huntley

The school’s head prefect and year 12 student Daniel Heath said he felt safer and more protected wearing a mask but he was also glad to be rid of them.

“We’re going to be a bit more free without them on,” Daniel said.

Education Union SA boss Andrew Gohl said he would support any recommendation made by SA Health.

“Of course, recognising that there are some educators still who will remain concerned about contracting the disease, so they will probably want to see mask wearing continue, at least for them,” Mr Gohl said.

“I think we all recognise that wearing masks, certainly in terms of an educational setting has some difficulties, anyone who does public speaking with a mask will understand how difficult that task is.”

He said mask wearing should be flexible, particularly in schools experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks.

Senior government sources say school covering rules are “on track” to be lifted at the start of next week, subject to a final briefing to Covid-19 chiefs, led by Mr Malinauskas.

A final decision will be made at the meeting after latest data is presented, along with advice from education bosses and chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier.

Blackfriars students Daniel Heath (Head Prefect) and Cooper Smith (Prefect) happy mask mandates will end soon in schools, pictured on May 23rd, 2022, in Prospect. Picture: Tom Huntley

Covid chiefs will also have an update about the process on scrapping the declaration under the Emergency Management Act that has underpinned all coronavirus directions.

Last week new legislation passed both houses of parliament, allowing key Covid rules to be managed through the Public Health Act – despite a backlash over jail terms.

The EMC rather than Police Commissioner Grant Stevens will then decide on what rules will ease. Mr Malinauskas wants the declaration scrapped by June 30.

“Time will tell but the Premier is keen to make sure the 30 June deadline is well and truly met – I think that’s a safe bet,” one senior source said.

School closures

Education Department data shows far west coast’s Yalata Anangu School is closed, just under halfway between Ceduna and the WA border.

All of Port Augusta secondary, except year 12s, are home schooling one day a week while Playford International College is alternating year levels with remote learning.

Henley High’s year 12s are home schooling.

Around the state’s 500 schools, during Term 1, 14 were closed for a time, and more than 15 schools had at least one class suspended.

At present, there are 3409 students and 652 staff absent with Covid-19, compared with 5620 students and 847 staff at the end of Term 1.

Almost 43 per cent of 148,253 eligible students aged five to 11 are double jabbed.

This week the government will open the first of 40 school vaccination hubs across the state to boost sluggish rates.

Premier Peter Malinauskas wants the emergency declaration gone by June 30. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Education Minister Blair Boyer said authorities were “hoping to make a decision on masks this week in preparation for week 5”.

“We’ll sit down and look very closely at all the current data because we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said.

“This includes looking at how many cases in schools and how many sites have been sent to remote or online learning.

“There’s a lot of work across the board being done, including rolling out the extra 1000 air purifiers to schools we purchased since we came into government.

“We need to take all of these things into consideration before any decision is made.”

He has said the response has been “mixed”, but in the learning environment “we can all agree it’s not ideal to have masks”.

Covid latest

South Australia reported 3127 new cases of Covid on Monday. Two hundred and thirty-eight people are in hospital, including 10 in ICU.