Queensland students won’t miss a beat if schools close with virtual classrooms ready

Queensland students hoping for a break from study if their schools are closed amid the escalating coronavirus situation are in for some bad news, with a high-tech plan in place to ensure they won’t miss a beat.

CLASSROOMS are ready to go digital should Queensland schools need to close if a coronavirus pandemic hit, with students to study from home.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday said the Education Department and the Chief Health Officer would provide advice to the State Government about any potential closures in the future.

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“Continuity of learning is an extremely important consideration in our response planning and, as in other disaster and emergency management events, the department has online learning materials and virtual classroom capability that can be utilised by schools where appropriate to support sustained curriculum delivery,” an Education Department spokesman said today.

Queensland recorded its 14th case of COVID-19 yesterday after a 28-year-old man tested positive.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reassured Queenslanders again today that she was satisfied with the state’s preparations. (AAP Image/Attila Csaszar)

He recently returned from Iran, with contact tracing underway.

The Courier-Mail today revealed authorities were bracing for up to three in four Queenslanders to be infected by an outbreak, with plans being drawn up to bolster the state’s health workforce with retired doctors and army medicos.

Upwards of 25 per cent of the state may initially contract the virus, with that number to potentially grow to 70 per cent beyond the next 12 months.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reassured Queenslanders again today that she was satisfied with the state’s preparations.

“We just need to make sure that people are listening to any directions that are being given and of course if we can isolate very quickly it helps to stop the spread,” she said.

The Premier said she was very confident the regions could cope with a potential outbreak.

“We are the most decentralised state,” she said.

“We are making sure that every hospital is prepared.

“Next week the health and hospital services across Queensland will also be running their own get ready program to make sure that all the hospitals are ready for any spike in numbers of cases.”