Boards and early learning services have a duty to manage workplace risks, and any potential or actual outbreaks of communicable disease such as influenza, measles and COVID-19, among other health and safety responsibilities outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Communicable Diseases

You should ask that all students, children and staff showing signs of illness stay home.

School principals (of State Schools) can preclude a student from attending if they believe on reasonable grounds may have a communicable disease (using Section 77 of the Education and Training Act 2020). Contact your local District Health Board or Medical Officer of Health if you believe one of your children, students or staff may have a communicable disease.

The Medical Officer of Health has certain powers to manage the disease on a case-by-case basis.

If someone who you believe has a communicable disease does not stay away from your service or school as requested, contact your district health board or the Medical Officer of Health for advice.

• Public Health Unit Contacts – Ministry of Health

• Ministry of Education regional contacts

Notifiable diseases

If a disease is classified as notifiable, this means health practitioners and laboratories are required to notify Medical Officers of Health of cases of a notifiable disease. Medical Officers of Health then have powers to manage the disease on a case-by-case basis, including the ability to:

• formally initiate contact tracing of contacts of cases of coronavirus

• issue mandatory directions such as restricting movement and travel

• apply for court orders such as for treatment

• issue administrative 72-hour detention orders (urgent public health orders).

Symptoms of notifiable diseases

There are a large number of illnesses classified as notifiable under the Health Act 1956. Included below are symptoms of some notifiable illnesses which have arisen in New Zealand recently:

• Influenza – fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle and or body ache, fatigue, headache, chest discomfort.

• Measles – first symptoms are a fever, cough, runny nose, sore and watery ‘pink’ eyes, sometimes small white spots on the back inner cheek of your mouth. Day 3–7 of illness a blotchy rash which tends to start on your face, behind the ears, before moving over your head and down your body. The rash lasts for up to a week.

• Whooping cough – runny nose, sneezing, mild fever, cough, ‘whoop’ sound with each sharp intake of breath after coughing, vomiting after coughing (especially in infants and young children), tiredness and redness of face.

• COVID-19 – fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, sore throat, sneezing/runny nose, temporary loss of smell.

For schools

Encourage all staff and students who are feeling ill to not attend school. This is usual practice and will align with your health and safety policies and/or school policies.

Go to the Ministry of Health website for the latest advice regarding the COVID-19.

Precluding students

In addition to the above, the principal of a state school can preclude a student who they believe on reasonable grounds may have a communicable disease (Section 77 Education and Training Act 2020). The student has to stay away for the infectious period of the specific disease. If the person doesn’t comply, principals can ask the Medical Officer of Health at their local public health service for support, which could include a direction under the Health Act.

Principals are not medical experts and do not have the ability to determine if the signs of illness presented in staff and students is influenza, early stages of measles, COVID-19 or some other illness which has similar symptoms. Therefore the presenting symptoms along with any relevant information such as close contact with someone diagnosed with illness or recently travelling in a region which is known to carry risk of infection, will inform the principal’s decision about the application of Section 77. The principal must inform the Medical Officer of Health, the student’s parents (in any other case) and the school board that they have taken this action.

If a student has been precluded on suspicion of having a communicable disease, the board must, as soon as is practicable, investigate the matter. After investigating, the board should either cancel the preclusion or confirm that the student should stay precluded until the board has received a certificate from a medical practitioner stating that the student is well enough to be back to school.