NT Coronavirus: Territory schools on COVID-19 alert for Term 3 holidays

SCHOOLS will ask staff and students where they have travelled during the Term 3 school holidays in order to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak in the Northern Territory.

Territory schools, staff and students are on COVID-19 alert for the Term 3 holidays

SCHOOLS will ask staff and students where they have travelled during the Term 3 school holidays in order to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak in the Northern Territory.

In a letter to Catholic school principals, the Northern Territory’s Director of Catholic Education Greg O’Mullane said “it will be important that you are aware of where staff and students have travelled during the school break.”

“A number of new hotspots and areas of elevated alerts may be identified in the coming days and weeks and you will need to keep abreast of developments as they unfold,” he wrote.

“... Please can you ask staff and students, on their return to school in term four, to declare whether they have travelled to a known hotspot or area of elevated COVID-19”.

Mr O’Mullane said “obtaining confirmation of staff and student travel would be critical to assist in contact tracing and minimising any outbreak that may occur.

“Please remind staff and the parent community to remain vigilant and to practice social distancing at all times,” he said.

The memo stated: “If a staff member goes interstate under current arrangements and the quarantine rules change in the NT while they are away, then they will be covered by 10 days COVID-19 leave”.

“If a staff member goes interstate to places that had restrictions and they have to quarantine on their return that will be leave without pay if they cannot return to school on the first day of term,” it states.

The two-week Term 3 school holidays in the Territory are between September 26 and October 11.