Coronavirus: Sydney school shut over positive staffer

Werrington Public School shut its doors to students and teachers on Thursday after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

A crew cleans up Werrington Public School in Sydney’s west on Thursday. Picture: Adam Yip

Days after face-to-face learning returned in NSW, the parents of a school in Sydney’s west are once again homeschooling their children after being notified that a staff member has tested positive to COVID-19.

Werrington Public School shut its doors to students and teachers on Thursday while a crew of professional cleaners in biohazard suits spent the day disinfecting the premises and the state’s health authority began contact tracing.

NSW recorded four new cases of coronavirus from more than 9700 tests on Thursday, the eve of its greatest relaxation in restrictions since the crisis began. Eight patients remain in intensive care, with six on ventilators.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged residents of NSW to remain cautious when restrictions ease and to be vigilant with sanitation.

In Victoria, total cases increased by nine on Thursday to 1523, with 19 of those cases active. Five of the new cases were linked to known clusters, including two at a ­McDonald’s restaurant in Fawkner in Melbourne’s north and three at the Cedar Meats abattoir.

Three cases were return travellers. Another was a patient who presented at hospital.

In Sydney, one Werrington Public School mother, who has since taken her entire family to be tested for the deadly virus, was dis­appointed with the school’s handling of the situation, saying she had discovered the staffer had been infected only after seeing a post on the school’s Facebook page.

“I feel as though parents should have been notified via a phone call or text,” Nicole Stokes said. “I understand the matter of privacy, but we should have been made aware at least of what year the staff taught, if they were support staff or part of the school’s office.”

Ms Stokes said she no longer had the confidence to send her child back to the school.

The Department of Education said staff and students who were close contacts of the staff member had been told to self-isolate.

Parents are awaiting further advice on when the school will resum­e on-site learning.

Queensland recorded no further coronavirus cases overnight. Its tally remained at 1052, with 16 of those cases active.

Canberra’s total stayed at 107. ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman encouraged people to get tested if they experienced any symptoms.

“It is important that we keep testing as many people as we can to get the best possible picture of what is going on,” she said.

“If you have any symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, sore throat or a cough, then please come forward. We are also testing additional symptoms including sudden onset of loss of smell, loss of taste, runny nose, muscle pain, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting­ or loss of appetite.”

A woman in her 30s was the only new case in Western Aust­ralia, where seven cases remain ­active, with one in intensive care.

Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory reported no new cases on Thursday.