New Covid rules for Victorian schools revealed

Students, staff, parents and school visitors will this week shift to new Covid rules. Here’s which rules are changing and when.

Masks will no longer be recommended under new Covid rules for Victorian schools taking effect on Thursday.

Alerts to parents when children are infected will also cease.

Staff, parents or visitors will not be required to prove they are vaccinated in order to work in or access any school settings.

And physical distancing will not be necessary, updated guidelines for all 1500 government and 500 Catholic schools say.

The rules come into effect when the pandemic declaration ends at midnight on Wednesday, when Victorians will no longer have to isolate after testing positive to Covid.

However, it will still be recommended that students and staff with Covid stay home from school for five days or until their symptoms end.

Wearing masks in schools will no longer be an official recommendation.

The new rules mean that from Thursday there is no longer a requirement for classes to be held outside where possible and for camps and excursions to be postponed in the case of staff shortages. Windows can now be closed, if needed.

The new government guide, dated October 13, states: “CovidSafe measures have changed but all Victorian government schools are required to continue to implement important practices to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission”.

“Schools must continue to take the important steps of ensuring air purifiers are in use, external ventilation is maximised, good personal hygiene is encouraged and face masks continue to be made available for staff, students and visitors who wish to wear them.”

The state guidelines are now just 1200 words long, cut down from the previous guide of 6000 words on issues such as the “three Vs – Ventilation, Vaccination and Vital CovidSafe steps”.

However, schools are still encouraged to maximise airflow and staff are encouraged to keep up with vaccinations.

The rules come into effect when the pandemic declaration ends at midnight on Wednesday. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Although vaccination mandates were relaxed in mainstream schools mid-year, they continued to apply in specialist schools. There are now also no requirements for students to regularly test using RATs, though schools with supplies will keep giving them out.

Masks were previously recommended to be worn indoors or outside where distancing was not possible, and had to be worn by household contacts aged over eight.

The new rules simply state staff and students “who wish to wear a face mask should be supported to do so”. There is mention of health advice that suggests masks can be worn by close contacts and Covid-positive people, but there are no longer no specific rules for schools. Staff who test positive to Covid-19 will be able to access 5 days paid special leave without a medical certificate in addition to personal leave.

Deb James, secretary of the Victorian Independent Education Union said: “We’ve all seen how quickly Covid-19 can spread in schools - and with these changed settings it’s vital that every school continues to put the safety of staff and students first.

What is most important is that sick or symptomatic staff and students should not be attending school.

“It’s really disappointing to see Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools only granting paid infectious diseases leave to staff who catch Covid at their school. It makes no difference how or where anyone catches Covid, what matters is keeping it out of our school communities. School staff should be supported to stay away while infectious — not made to jump through hoops to try to prove where they caught it,” Ms James said.

A Department of Education spokesman said: “The Department has updated its Covid-19 advice to schools consistent with Department of Health recommendations and the cessation of the Pandemic Orders from 11.59pm Wednesday 12 October.”

Meredith Peace, Australian Education Union Victorian branch president, said the union “will continue to strongly encourage students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate until they have recovered to avoid posing risks to the health and wellbeing of others in school settings.

“The AEU welcomes the continued provision of five days special leave for staff who test positive to COVID-19, which will reduce the chances of further infections in schools,” she said.

“We will also continue to recommend that students and staff continue to wear masks in indoor settings where appropriate. Schools should continue to implement their COVID-safe plans, including ventilation measures, such as the use of air purifiers, to reduce the risk of transmission.”