Testing time for students

Rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 will be in place for at least the first four weeks of term one of the school year.

The State Government also plans to provide more than 14-million rapid antigen tests to schools and earlychild education and care services, including 6.6-million tests in the first week of term.

It released the details as part of a plan to keep education settings open while taking measures to protect students and staff.

Students across the state will be back at school after a summer holiday break from next week.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Education Minister James Merlino said the return-to-school plan also involved surveillance testing, ventilation, vaccinations and comprehensive workforce planning ‘to ensure a successful 2022 school year’.

The government is ‘strongly’ recommending all primary and secondary school students and staff and early childhood education and care staff, to have surveillance testing twice-weekly at home before attending school or childcare.

Students and staff at specialist schools also have recommendations to test five days each week due to the higher risk of severe illness for medically vulnerable children.

The Victorian and NSW governments have collaborated on the plan.

Mr Andrews: “Face-to-face learning is the best option for our kids’ learning and wellbeing – that’s why we’ve done the work to get students safely back in the classroom from the start of term one and make sure they stay there.”

School and early childhood staff will join a list of workers in key sectors who must receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by February 25 if already eligible, or within three months and two weeks of receiving a second dose to continue working in education settings.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has advised a third dose would help ensure continued protection for this workforce, most notably individuals with significant underlying health conditions.

Professor Sutton also noted that a mandate might help mitigate against the risk of outbreaks in these settings.

The government has confirmed that with potential significant but shortterm staffing challenges in schools and early childhood services in term one, it has classified education staff as critical workers – allowing household contacts to voluntarily continue working if they are asymptomatic and return daily negative rapid antigen tests.

Management and reporting of COVID-19 cases in education settings will also change.

Schools and kindergartens will be required to inform staff, parents and carers when there is a positive case and will provide advice on any steps families are required to take.

Mask-wearing will continue, with students in grades three and above required to wear masks – although they will not be required outdoors.

Remote learning will be considered only as a localised, short-term last resort.