Gold Coast schools share new rules to prevent coronavirus spread

Principals at Gold Coast mega schools have shared the new rules to prevent the spread of coronavirus within the student body, while class remains open.

GOLD Coast mega schools of over 500 children have been advised to end all whole school assemblies and stagger lunchbreaks to prevent the spread of the virus.

In detailed advice sent to school principals yesterday Queensland Department of Education Director General Tony Cook addressed the health advice against mass gatherings of 500 people - and what that meant for educators.

The letter detailed plans for in-school social distancing, online learning and bans on international travel.

The news comes as NSW schools call off all major arts, sports and initiative activities and events, whole school sporting events and inter-school events involving three or more schools.

Education Minister Grace Grace assured parents if individual schools were advised to close they would be notified quickly.

At this stage only schools with a confirmed case of the Coronavirus will close for an indefinate period.

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Queensland Minister for Education Grace Grace. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

“In accordance with advice from the Chief Medical Officer, Queensland state schools will remain open,” she told the Bulletin.

“While the advice that there is no need for mass school closures, activities such as fetes, fairs, and concerts where they involve more than 500 people are to be postponed.

“In schools with more than 500 students, principals have also been asked to cease full school assemblies, arrange staggered lunch breaks and reschedule other large in-school student gatherings and events.”

Schools were also asked to increase the frequency of the cleaning of toilet facilities and providing additional soap and sanitiser.

A Gold Coast principal said many of his colleagues already had measures in place.

“We have separated the kids in the yard on lunch breaks and we have management get-togethers every day to review what we are doing,” he said.

“I think at the moment most schools are operating pretty well, you don’t want a knee-jerk reaction when all schools are closed just because.

Dr John Gerrard. Director of infectious diseases at the Gold Coast University Hospital. Pic Tim Marsden

“We have already had to cancel things like international trips and will be looking at some sports events which is the tough one, but there are plenty of big schools on the Gold Coast working through this.”

Study Gold Coast CEO Alfred Slogrove said educators are moving quickly to an online model in preparation for any shut downs, should that have to take place.

“Online teaching will still require a skeleton staff on campus to run the IT infrastructure and assist with the development of digital materials. This will be critical, even if there are campus closures,” he said.

Mr Slogrove said in the event of campus closures, the Government should also consider an exemption for education providers to continue to operate skeleton staff necessary to manage online delivery.