Victorian schools remain open for now – but shutdown looming

ALL Victorian schools are likely to close due to coronavirus, but a decision is yet to be made on the timing, with the Federal Government urging caution.

Premier Daniel Andrews said yesterday the advice of health experts was not to close schools “at this stage”.

“However, I want to be very clear that it’s almost certain that we’ll get to that point,” he said.

“When exactly, frustratingly, I can’t tell you when that will be. But it is more than a likelihood that we will have disruption to schools. We’ve already seen schools close.”

Melbourne private schools Carey Grammar, Beth Rivkah College and Yeshiva College are already shut due to staff or students contracting COVID-19.

And elite girls school Loreto Mandeville Hall in Toorak will close today as a precautionary measure after a parent tested positive for the virus, and a student was being tested.

Mr Andrews said that public school parents wouldn’t be punished if they chose to keep their kids at home before a decision was made on school closures. “I think if parents exercise that judgment, they’re not going to be punished for that. An abundance of caution is never a bad thing,” he said.

Newport mum Catherine McKay said it would be tricky caring for her three school-age children if schools shut down.

“It might make it difficult for me to go to work because I’m a nurse,” she said.

“My husband can work from home a bit — we might have to do a tag team.”

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison cautioned against the wide-scale closure of schools, saying there was also the disruption of other services, particularly in health, to consider.