Emanuel reopens after COVID case
Last Wednesday morning, parents were asked "to come and collect their children immediately", and all staff and students told to self-isolate until further notice, after a member of the school community tested positive for the virus.
EMANUEL School students returned to face-to-face learning last Friday after its campus was temporarily closed due to a COVID-19 case.
Last Wednesday morning, parents were asked “to come and collect their children immediately”, and all staff and students told to self-isolate until further notice, after a member of the school community tested positive for the virus.
Principal Andrew Watt said the campus would be “non-operational effective immediately for the on-site attendance of students and staff to allow time for contact tracing and cleaning”.
“Parents and carers are requested to come and collect their children immediately, if they have already dropped them off,” Watt wrote last Wednesday.
“The OOSH [out of school hours care] will be also non-operational during this time. We also cannot offer our services to students of essential workers at this time.
“All staff and students are asked to self-isolate until you receive further advice. There is no requirement to get a COVID-19 test at this time unless you are unwell.”
Noting, “The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is of paramount importance to us at all times,” Watt added, “As such we will continue to work closely with NSW Health to ensure that all necessary health advice is adhered to.
“While we recognise this will be disruptive and inconvenient for families, it is important that we follow NSW Health advice and take all necessary precautions to minimise the risk of further transmission to support our community.”
He said students sitting the HSC would continue their exams at Emanuel Synagogue as planned.
In a follow-up letter to parents last Thursday, deputy principal Margaret Lowe said contact tracing had been completed and “any individuals (staff or students) that are currently considered close contacts or casual contacts will have received a joint letter from the NSW Department of Health and Emanuel School”.
“Some individuals will have received a letter indicating they are neither close nor casual contacts but should monitor for symptoms, as we are all doing during the pandemic,” Lowe wrote.
She added, “Emanuel School has been complimented on its procedures that minimise the likelihood of contagion. Of note, our canteen arrangements, ‘cohorting’ and mask wearing received specific mention.
“We are committed to all of our strategies to minimise risk to students and staff and will continue to do so.”
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