Photo by Stephen Harrison

Coronavirus

Stephen Harrison — February 4th, 2020

As you will have seen in the media the situation is rapidly evolving internationally concerning the Coronavirus. Our school is closely monitoring information being provided by the Ministry of Health, in regard to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

There are no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in New Zealand to date but the likelihood of importing a case is high. The risk of an ongoing outbreak in New Zealand remains low, but the Ministry of Health is monitoring the situation closely.

This is a new virus and its specific nature is currently unclear, however it appears that you can have the virus at an early stage and not be showing any symptoms. This incubation period is currently considered to be 14 days.

The health of students and staff is a priority for all and we ask all parents/caregivers and staff to take the following steps:

Any student who may be at high risk of exposure because they have recently been to China or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with the virus, we ask:
- They delay the start of their school year for 14 days and voluntarily stay away. The 14-day delay should be calculated from the date of entry to New Zealand.
- Advise the school office so we are aware of the situation and can code the student’s absence accordingly.
As always, anyone who is unwell should not be at school. If you have a particular concern about your child, please contact Healthline at 0800 611 116 or your GP for medical advice. Healthline has translators and interpreters available 24/7 in 150 languages and they do have Mandarin and Cantonese speaking staff available.

If a student still attends school while showing symptoms they will be sent home on the grounds they may have a communicable disease (Section 19 Education Act). The student will be required to stay away for the infectious period of the specific disease.

For those of you concerned about possible infection, the Ministry of Health has provided practical information on their website which we encourage you to read - Novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) guidance – Ministry of Health website. Included in there is some advice (for travellers) to help reduce the general risk of infection:

Avoiding very close contact with people showing symptoms
Frequently washing hands
Avoiding close contact with sick live farm animals or wild animals
Practicing cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands).

Should the situation change, as we do with other infectious diseases such as measles, mumps and influenza, we will follow our pandemic plan for managing the illness.

Links to Further Information: