Coronavirus: State’s school stance is based on broader concerns, says Chief Medical Officer

Brendan Murphy says Victoria’s hardline opposition to reopening schools is not because of health concerns for children.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says increasing data shows children are not high transmitters of the coronavirus. Picture: Getty Images

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says Victoria’s more hardline opposition to reopening schools is not because of health concerns for children, but an attempt to suppress the coronavirus in the community.

The revelation that “nobody” on Australia’s leading medical expert panel believes school is a risk to children came as a brawl between the federal and Victorian governments over restarting classroom teaching threatened to derail the bipartisanship achieved through the national cabinet process.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan declared on Sunday that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had displayed a “failure of leadership” by not having a plan to reopen schools, but was forced to withdraw the comments hours later.

Dr Murphy, who chairs the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee advising national cabinet on the coronavirus pandemic, pointed out that Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton “said publicly he thinks schools are safe for children”.

“The Victorian Chief Health Officer … has expressed the view, as has the Victorian government, that … they want to stop movement of people around the community,” Dr Murphy said. “That’s the basis for their decision.

“He has never disputed the evidence on safety for children.” Dr Murphy said there was increasing data that showed children were not high transmitters of the coronavirus.

While there was a potential risk for teachers in staffrooms and for adults at school drop-off and pick-up, that could be reduced and managed with appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures.

The AHPPC, made up of all state and territory chief health officers, has never recommended to national cabinet to close schools.

“We know that teachers have been concerned, and we have done everything that we think is necessary to mitigate that risk,” Dr ­Murphy said.

“Part of the confusion has been in some jurisdictions schools were closed and have been closed because of the general message of ‘stay at home’ and they didn’t want a lot of people moving around the community.”