Dozens of teacher miss mandatory vax deadline

The government has confirmed over 150 Education Department staff did not comply with mandatory vaccination requirements by this week’s deadline. LATEST >>

PREMIER Peter Gutwein has accused the teachers’ union and opposition MPs of “fearmongering” over the risk of Covid transmission in schools.

The government confirmed this morning that 171 Education Department staff had not complied with mandatory vaccination requirements by Tuesday’s deadline, including 87 teachers.

They are unable to work, although Mr Gutwein said the department was “working with them” to resolve their status.

More than 60,000 Tasmanian government school students returned to classes one day one of term one on Wednesday

“I just think it’s very disappointing, some of the fear mongering that’s gone on by important voices in the education setting, such as the AEU and some shadow spokespeople on the other side of politics,” Mr Gutwein said.

“I don’t think they’ve been helpful at all.”

PREMIER NEW TOWN PRIMARY

The Premier said the Education Department has deployed 4,500 air purifiers across the state, and provided 1,560,000 surgical masks, 600,000 junior surgical masks, and 200,000 RAT tests for teachers and students — with more than 1.5 million RAT’s available to supply our schools in coming weeks.

“I spoke with the Education Secretary this morning who has spoken to a number of principals over the last couple of days and obviously over the last couple of weeks, Mr Gutwein said.

“In the main, the message that he provided to me this morning was that while there is some anxiousness — and that’s understandable — in the main teachers want to get back into schools want to do what they do and that is to work with our young people to provide them with the opportunity for a better life.

“I just don’t think that some of the discourse that’s been heard over the last couple of days in terms of some of the comments from those who do have important voices has been helpful at all.”

There have been seven Covid outbreaks in educational settings this year, health authorities said: six in early childhood education centres, and an independent school in the state’s central north.

Since December 15, there have been 1415 cases in the five to nine age group, with 294 active. For ten to 19 year old age group there have been 4216 with 518 active. There were 138 fresh infections across both age groups detected on Tuesday.

Labor’s education spokesman Josh Willie said the number of teachers missing from schools was significant.

“Eighty-seven teachers would staff a couple of schools, it will impact hundreds of students who will now have an unsettling start to the year because they will have a relief teacher that wasn’t known until school started.

“This is a last minute stuff up on behalf of the government. They couldn’t get their act together to work through this and they had a deadline of midnight last night.”

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said the Premier has steadfastly refused to listen to legitimate concerns.

“It is pure gaslighting and politics from the Premier to try and say that the reasonable concerns of the Greens, parents and the education union and teachers shouldn’t be listened to, when he’s the one who’s refusing to resource and put the steps in place that will make the real difference.

‘Unacceptable’: Hundreds of teachers yet to comply with vax mandate – February 9

HUNDREDS of Education Department staff face being stood down immediately after failing to produce evidence they have complied with mandatory vaccination requirements.

The revelation from the government came as Australian Education Union state president David Genford said the majority of teachers were worried about the Covid threat when they head back to class on Wednesday.

“We found that only one in five teachers feel safe to return to school tomorrow,” he said.

“The reality is, not enough has been done in our schools to protect students and teachers against the threat of Covid-19.

“The government has had weeks to improve its Covid Return to School plan, but instead we’ll see students return to classes on Wednesday with unacceptable, bare-minimum safety measures in place.”

He described the government’s insistence it has 1700 relief teachers of standby as “fanciful”.

“So if they can’t actually fill up spots for regular teachers, how are we going to find the relief teachers at the same time?” he asked.

Labor presser

“I want them to actually show some evidence that those relief teachers actually exist, because the relief co-ordinators know that they aren’t there. “

Mr Genford said shortcomings in ventilation audits, missing Co2 monitors, the provision of large adult masks which covered young childrens’ entire faces and a lack of faceshields for teachers of young and hearing-impaired students were adding to the anxiety among the teaching workforce.

Labor education spokesman Josh Willie said the imminent standing down of hundreds of staff was going to have a major impact on schools — even before any disruptive outbreak of Covid.

Four per cent of Education Department’s staff were non-compliant with the vaccination mandate on Tuesday.

“We have teachers across our state, who will be stood down today because of the vaccination mandate,” Mr Willie said. “It is a last-minute stuff-up to leave it this late,” he said.

“What impact will have on our schools and do all principals know the vaccinations status of their staff?”

Mr Willie said the government has failed to plan.

Labor education spokesman Josh Willie says he's concerned at teacher numbers on day one of term one, 2022.

“There are plenty of schools around our state who struggled to staff to the adequate levels in good times – this is prior to Covid,” he said.

“I know of schools starting the year without their baseline number of teachers, I know of schools that struggle to get relief teachers in the best of times.

“This will have an impact, it will mean that our class sizes may swell, it means that kids aren’t getting the one-on-one attention that they deserve, it may mean senior staff have to enter the classroom and teach on class as well as managing the school.”

Acting Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff rejected Mr Willie’s claims.

“Significant work has been undertaken in partnership with Public Health to ensure our students will be safe when they return to the classroom tomorrow,” he said.

He asked if Mr Willie actually supported mandatory vaccination for school teachers. Mr Willie said he did

Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations president Natham Reynolds said there has been a lack of communication with parents and constantly changing advice.

“Families are finding it difficult and frustrating to find consistent information that is not contradictory,” he said.

“They are a calling for clear and honest information to be delivered through our schools and that information should be the same at all schools.”

He said a survey of members showed 75 per cent wanted the option of online learning for their children.

When Check In Tas could be scrapped

IT has become a familiar ritual for Tasmanians during the last 12 months of the pandemic, but the mandatory use of the Check-In Tas app may soon be wound back.

The mobile phone app was introduced to assist with contact tracing in December 2020 and became mandatory on May 1 last year.

The app – which requires users to scan a QR code – was upgraded to display the user’s vaccination status in November.

Failure to use the app carried a fine of $778.80.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the future of the app was being considered and announcement would be made next week.

“It’s under review. I’d expect we’d have something to say on the 15th of this month,” he told reporters.

Premier Peter Gutwein during the Covid update at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Queensland Government scrapped mandatory check-ins at most venues earlier this month — although they remain a requirement in venues which require partons to be vaccinated.

The ACT has wound back its app for use only in high-risk venues.

In January, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Michael Bailey questioned the usefulness of the app as case numbers rose following the borders being reopened.

He said contact tracing appeared to be a thing of the past in Tasmania and Public Health had stopped listing new exposure sites online, undermining the rationale for continuing to mandate the use of QR check-in codes.

The federal government’s $9m nationwide Covid Safe contract tracing app was hampered by poor uptake and was deemed “unhelpful” by a review.

Meanwhile, Covid cases have seen a slight spike just days away from the resumption of state schools.

Tasmania recorded 601 new cases on Monday, according to a Facebook post on Tuesday morning from the Department of Health, Tasmania.

This was a hike from the 443 new cases on Sunday.

It takes the state to 3302 active cases.

One patient is still in intensive care with the disease as 10 people are being treated in hospital for coronavirus.

Two days before the beginning of the public school year, 57.72 per cent of five- to 11-year-olds have had their first Pfizer dose.

Several passengers who were recently aboard the Coral Discoverer for a boutique cruise remain in isolation after the boat recorded a positive coronavirus case.

Seven people have died while Covid-positive this year, with 20 overall deaths since the pandemic started almost two years ago.

The death of a 34-year-old North West woman in January will be the subject of a coronial investigation to determine whether or not her passing was caused by the disease.

For the latest updates and advice visit coronavirus.tas.gov.au