Newbury Primary School, Craigieburn, shuts after prep diagnosed with COVID-19
A Craigieburn primary school has closed after a student tested positive to coronavirus, with the principal breaking the “concerning” news to parents. But authorities say the risk of transmission in the school remains “very low”.
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Newbury Primary School in Craigieburn has been closed today after a prep student tested positive for coronavirus.
A letter from principal Michelle Bromfield to parents, carers and staff, seen by the Leader, confirmed the positive case.
It said the school would be closed for all staff and students from Friday for 24 hours, meaning it would likely reopen on Tuesday after the Queen’s Birthday public holiday.
Students in grades 3-6 are due to return to onsite classes from Tuesday.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the student attended school on Friday May 29 while infectious but was not displaying any signs of illness at the time.
MORE: Signs of new cluster in Melbourne’s west
The student became ill on the weekend and was kept home from school all this week.
A deep clean of affected classrooms and common areas will be conducted while the school is closed.
“This closure will allow time for the school and DHHS to work through a contact and containment strategy,” the letter said.
“This includes identifying and notifying any person who has been in close recent contact with the affected student who has tested positive.”
Ms Bromfield said affected students, their families and school staff would be notified by the DHHS over the next 24 hours as to what actions they needed to take.
Any close contacts of the student will be required to isolate for 14 days from their last exposure to the case.
“I understand this news will be concerning for many of you,” she said.
“I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to contain and slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of our whole school community.”
The school said students and teachers currently learning and working onsite should remain at home while contact tracing occurs and not attend public places.
The school will update families once contact tracing is completed and a decision about reopening the school is made.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said today the case was contracted by community transmission.
“A prep student who was at the school without symptoms late last week but developed symptoms over the weekend, was tested on Wednesday, notified to DHHS yesterday and the school will shut today,” he said.
“I understand that it was notified very late last night so some of those parents will only be finding out today that the school’s closed.
“That will be an inconvenience but it is a necessary measure for the close contacts to be identified.
“These are community cases — they have almost certainly been picked up in the community, they happen to be attending school but this is not transmission within the school and the risk of transmission in the school remains very low.
“We’ve had similar cases in Keilor Downs, students who happened to attend school but don’t appear to have picked it up in school and certainly no evidence that they’ve had ongoing transmission within the school setting.
“The recent cases illustrate that there really is ongoing community transmission in Victoria.
“It is at very low levels but it does seem to be concentrated to the inner north and west of Melbourne so really right from Keilor Downs through Fawkner to Craigieburn.”
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