Schools will suffer coronavirus outbreaks, need to be shut down, says NSW Premier

Sydney: Schools will face more frequently shut downs due to coronavirus outbreaks as students return to face-to-face teaching, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned.

Just days after term two began, Warragamba Public School on the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains was closed after a student tested positive.

Ms Berejiklian said a system in place for when a pupil catches the disease involves closing and cleaning the school, tracing contacts and then re-opening the site.

She said this process could need to be repeated for several schools as students return to class on a staged basis.

“I anticipate it will happen more frequently but please have confidence we’ve gone through the processes and we know what takes to keep everyone safe when this occurs,” she said.

Health advice from Australia’s top medics states that re-opening schools is not dangerous because children do not suffer badly from the virus.

The was just one new case of COVID-19 in NSW on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Anglicare’s Newmarch House aged care staff members will now be subject to daily COVID-19 tests in an attempt to manage the outbreak at the facility where 14 residents have died.