Two Batemans Bay students who tested positive to COVID-19 linked to local cluster
All staff and students at a popular south coast high school have been asked to self-isolate and the school is closing its doors after a student tested positive to coronavirus.
The South Coast News
Don't miss out on the headlines from The South Coast News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Moruya residents breath sigh of relief after flooding subsides
- Largest flood in 30 years leads to ‘late nights’ for park managers
Two students at local public schools in a South Coast town have returned positive COVID-19 tests.
NSW Health has confirmed the cases of a student at both Batemans Bay Public School and Batemans Bay High School can be traced to the cluster from the Batemans Bay Soldiers’ Club.
“Two of today’s cases are contacts of a previously reported case from the Batemans Bay Soldiers’ Club. This brings the number of cases associated with the Soldiers’ Club to 10,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.
“One of the two cases is a student at Batemans Bay High School. The other attends Batemans Bay public school. The schools are closed today for cleaning, and contact tracing is under way.”
Students and staff Batemans Bay High School and Batemans Bay Public School have been asked to self-isolate as the educational facilities undergo cleaning.
Batemans Bay High School advised students and staff that it will be non-operational for on-site learning on Tuesday, August 11.
“All students will undertake at home learning tomorrow,” the school said in a statement.
The NSW Education Department has been advised by NSW Health that a student has tested positive for COVID-19, the school said. All students and staff have been asked to self-isolate while contact tracing occurs.
“The school will be non-operational tomorrow for the on-site attendance of staff and students to allow time for the school to complete the contact tracing process and have the school cleaned,” the school said in a statement.
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is of paramount importance to us at all times. As such we will continue to work closely with NSW Health to ensure that all necessary health advice is adhered to.”
Batemans Bay Public School released a statement last confirming a student had also returned a positive COVID-19 test.
Southern NSW Local Health District is urging anyone feeling unwell – even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose, scratchy or sore throat, cough, fever, shortness of breath, headache, tiredness, loss of taste or smell, nausea, diarrhoea or muscle aches – to self-isolate and seek COVID-19 testing, so cases in the community are identified as quickly as possible.
The news comes almost a month after the Batemans Bay Soldiers Club was closed for two weeks after visitors to the premises returned positive tests when they returned to Sydney. Now 10 cases are linked to the club, including the two visitors. Only one staff member returned a positive test.
There are currently 117 COVID-19 cases being treated by NSW Health. There are eight COVID‑19 patients in intensive care and six are ventilated. 85 per cent of cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.
A pop-up clinic will be established at Hanging Rock from 9am to 5pm to cater for the increased demand of testing.