COVID-19 Corona Virus Update

While the newsletter is generally about celebrating success, I want to take the opportunity to use this communication to update whānau about COVID-19. This is an opportunity to explain more about the virus and what we are going to be putting in place in the event of a school closure. We know that some of you as parents have concerns about your children attending school now, some of which may be due to what you are seeing in the media about other countries.

 There’s a simple rule here – if your child is unwell (whether or not their illness relates to COVID-19) they should stay at home. Students who are not unwell should continue to attend school. This rule is being applied to our teaching staff.

 Why a school would close

There is a lot of discussion about school closures in the media with many varying opinions being expressed and some misinformation being deliberately spread.

 At the time of writing we have already seen one temporary closure following direction from a Medical Officer of Health.  This was following confirmation that one student had been tested positive for COVID-19. That student is self-isolating and all their close contacts (150 students and staff) have been tested for the virus. It has just been announced that all of those tests have come back negative.

 The school will reopen next week however those 150 students and staff will remain away from the school for a period of 14 days from when they last had contact with the student confirmed with the virus. This is a precaution only, to keep those people and those around them safe.

 Medical Officers of Health – will direct schools to close if needed

Medical Officers of Health have the authority to close a school. They would only do so if there was a medical reason for this, or, after a confirmed case in the school they need to close it for a short period of time while they determine if there is any risk to others (which means staff and students stay away while they undertake contact tracing).

 If we have a confirmed case our school, or our school community

If there was a confirmed case linked with our school, we will be quickly advised of that by the Medical Officer of Health.

 Our regional Ministry of Education staff will work with us and local health authorities to agree a plan for the school. That will happen quickly and support will be provided to assist us to communicate with and support our parent community. Closure for a short period of time is one option for the Medical Officer of Health.

 As you have been doing, please continue to focus on prevention of spread including through:

•            Washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds and drying thoroughly - before and after eating as well as after attending the toilet

•            Covering coughs and sneezes with clean tissues or with an elbow

•            Putting used tissues in the bin

 What do we know about what is happening in Otaki?

We are aware that we have people in our community self-isolating after travel and that some of these people have gone to get testing for COVID-19. At the point of writing, there are no confirmed cases so we simply have a situation where people are being very responsible and doing the right thing.

 At the College, we have a staff member that has whānau returning from overseas but they are self-isolating in Auckland to allow our teacher to continue teaching.

We all need to work together if we want to slow the spread of COVID-19 so it is helpful to support any person or whānau who find themselves having to self-isolate.

If we are directed to close the school – what do we plan to do

Our staff are quietly preparing in case we need to teach remotely. We are making sure we will have:

• Subject or class sites that students can access their work instructions from

• Subject content on line for our students to access, and 

• Links to learning applications that students can work on

• Some classes are receiving paper resource booklets, others novels to continue working on at home

Our staff are looking at ways they can engage with students and caregivers at home:

• Emailing will be an important way to alert caregivers and students to work online and how to access work

• Students should open their class or subject sites to access work through work planners, links and sometimes even a video created by their teacher to give learning instructions

Links to class sites can be found here - 

 (https://sites.google.com/otakicollege.school.nz/oc-class-sites/home)

Some people are still unsure what COVID-19 actually is.

Understanding COVID-19

COVID-19 is a new virus that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a type of coronavirus. There are simple steps you can take to protect you, your family and whānau. 

What are the symptoms? 

The symptoms of COVID-19 are: 

·        a fever (at least 38°C)  

·        a cough 

·        shortness of breath

These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have COVID-19. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as colds and flu. 

 Time for symptoms to appear

We’re still learning about COVID-19. We don’t yet know how long symptoms take to show after a person has been infected. Current evidence suggests it is 2–10 days. 

 How it spreads

Like the flu, COVID-19 can be transmitted from person to person. The scientific evidence confirms that COVID-19 is spread by droplets. When an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, they may generate droplets containing the virus. These droplets are too large to stay in the air for long, so they quickly settle on surrounding surfaces.

People may get infected by the virus if they touch those surfaces or objects, and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes. 

That’s why it’s really important to use good hygiene, regularly wash and thoroughly dry your hands, and use good cough and sneeze etiquette. 

 Other information that may be of help

Financial support

In response to COVID-19 the Government is acting to support the economy. The $12.1 billion package includes:

·        a wage subsidy scheme 

·        leave and self-isolation support 

·        business cash flow and tax measures. 

Wage subsidy scheme 

Wage subsidies will be available for all employers that are significantly impacted by COVID-19 and are struggling to retain employees as a result. The scheme will be open to all businesses, including sole traders and the self-employed. 

Wage subsidies will be available for businesses in all sectors and all regions that can show a 30% decline in revenue for any month between January and June 2020 compared to the year before (including projected revenue).  

Leave and self-isolation support 

Workers and businesses have an important role in slowing the spread of COVID-19.  

The COVID-19 leave and self-isolation scheme financially supports workers to self-isolate, or stay home when sick with COVID-19. Helping businesses and workers to do the right thing. 

The COVID-19 Leave Payment is available for people who:

·        need to self-isolate 

·        cannot work because they are sick with COVID-19 

·        cannot work because they are caring for dependents who are required to self-isolate, or who are sick with COVID-19. 

 Business cash flow and tax measures include: 

·        increasing the provisional tax threshold from $2,500 to $5,000 from 2020/2021 

·        increasing the small asset depreciation threshold from $500 to $1,000 — and to $5,000 for the 2020/21 tax year 

·        allowing depreciation on commercial and industrial buildings from 2020/2021 

·        removing the hours test from the In-Work Tax Credit (IWTC) from 1 July 2020.

 Wider $12.1 billion package 

Other elements of the $12.1 billion package include income support, and further investment in the health response.   

 Looking after others

Kindness is an incredibly powerful way to show you are united against COVID-19. 

You can make a huge difference by:  

·        Checking-in on any elderly or vulnerable people

·        Looking after anyone that needs help 

·        Dropping supplies to those at home sick  

·        Talking to friends, whānau and neighbours to see if they need support

·        Connecting with and supporting local clubs and societies 

These kinds of connections (even with some physical distancing) and offers of help will go a long way to getting others through COVID-19.

Physical distancing

What is physical distancing? 

Physical distancing (sometimes known as ‘Social distancing’) is about keeping a safe distance from others.

 This is about physical distance. For your own mental health you can, and should, keep in touch with friends and family via the phone, or online. 

 One metre is the recommended physical distance to keep. 

 Physical distancing is an important way to unite against COVID-19, for anyone who doesn’t need to be in self-isolation. 

 (Self-isolation is more about taking a precautionary measure to protect against the spread of COVID-19)

 How to physically distance 

It’s best not to shake hands, kiss hello or hongi for now. 

Where you can, keep a bit of space.

More information is available on School TV – https://otakicollege.nz.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news

Andy Fraser, Principal