COVID Protection Framework for Schools and Kura

The decision to move to Orange has been made on public health advice and reflects that we are moving past the peak of cases and our health system is able to cope. We are seeing that cases are declining due to high levels of vaccination and natural immunity after infection.

I wanted to give you an update on what the move to Orange means for schools under ORANGE.

FACE MASKS

At Orange, face masks are no longer required at school.

However public health advice is that masks continue to be strongly encouraged when indoors.

Wearing a mask is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings.

For that reason, we ask that visitors to the school, including parents and whānau, wear a mask whenever they are indoors on school grounds.

We also ask that your child (if they are Year 4+) continue to bring a mask to school every day. There may be times that we’ll ask them to wear a mask, too – for example, when we are having an assembly in the hall. If there are a high number of cases at school or in the community, we may ask that masks are worn in classrooms for a time.

At Orange, students aged 12 and above are still required to wear a face mask on school buses and on public transport.

HEALTH MEASURES

We will continue to keep all the other health measures in place at school that we know slow the spread of COVID-19.

These include ensuring:

• our indoor spaces are well-ventilated,
• maintaining good hand hygiene and cough and sneeze etiquette, appropriate physical distancing whenever we can and,
• most importantly, staying home if we are sick.

Physical distancing

• Physical distancing is strongly encouraged, particularly from people you don’t know.
• In primary settings, if cases are proportionately higher in your community, consider whether classroom groupings are possible to minimise the potential spread
• Activities with large numbers of students, if they are to go ahead, should take place in well-ventilated areas or outdoors.

Visitors/Parents

• There are no restrictions, on numbers of visitors on site, but visitors should be captured in a visitor register as is normal practice.
• All visitors, including parents and caregivers, if they do come onsite, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask when indoors.
• Visitors must also meet any other health requirements applicable at the time.

Curriculum related activities

• We cannot require proof of vaccination.
• Activities with large numbers of students, if they are to go ahead, should take place in well-ventilated areas or outdoors.
• If Risk Assessment indicates a higher risk for your community, consider how you might limit any large indoor gatherings.

Non-curriculum related events and activities

• Activities need to meet the requirements for events and gatherings under the framework when onsite and offsite.
• There are no indoor capacity limits. You are strongly encouraged to use allocated seating for large events (such as those with more than 500 people) or apply a maximum capacity limit based on the maximum number of people who could occupy the space if each person was one metre apart.
• Workers at indoor events and gatherings are required to wear masks.

• The same rules/guidance will also apply if you are hiring out your facilities.

External students onsite for inter-school activities

• Students from other schools are permitted to be on site and must follow all health measures.
• Large gatherings should be held outdoors or in well ventilated spaces
• For non-curriculum related activities, schools should follow any rules and guidance for events and gatherings.

Music, instruments, singing etc.

• Practices and rehearsals can go ahead – physical distancing of one metre is recommended where practicable, especially for higher-risk activities such as singing and using wind instruments.

We are looking forward to a few fewer restrictions and returning to school life that is a bit closer to normal.