Covid Maroondah: Ringwood North’s Holy Spirit Community School closes after positive case

A Ringwood North catholic school has closed and a third of its students are isolating following a confirmed positive Covid case.

Ringwood North's Holy Spirit Community School has closed due to a Covid outbreak. Picture: Google Street View.

A Ringwood North catholic school has shut for two days and ordered its staff and six classes of students to get tested for Covid-19 following a positive case.

Holy Spirit Community School has switched to remote learning following the confirmed case, with the school closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Details of the situation are believed to have emerged on Sunday, and an urgent letter from deputy principal Judy Smith was sent during school hours on Monday asking parents to collect students immediately.

Principal Duncan Arendse said a third of its students - six of 18 classes - had been told to get tested and isolate until they recieve a negative result.

He said all teachers and staff were also following the same instructions, and the school was tipped to re-open on Thursday.

“The safety of our students, staff and families is our highest priority... we continue to follow all health department advice in relation to covid safe practices,” Mr Arendse said.

Ms Smith’s letter asked students in grades one and two, and a combined grade three and four class, to urgently get a PCR test.

A receptionist at the school said the source of the outbreak was “speculation” and the case could be linked to a teacher or student.

The outbreak at Holy Spirit comes after a student at Ringwood’s Indie School tested positive to the virus last week, which led to the school closing for a day as a precaution.