Information From Public Health –
in the Event of a Community Case
As noted recently by Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of Public Health:
Our experience in New Zealand and overseas with COVID-19 shows that it does not affect children and teens in the same way it does adults. Children and teens don’t become as unwell if they do get infected, and they don’t tend to pass the virus on so much as adults when in a classroom setting.
Compared to other places, schools and early learning services are not environments where we have seen significant spread of COVID-19. Household members and work colleagues who are in close contact with people with COVID-19, are the most common sources of transmission.
Inevitably, however, when there are cases in the community, they will also appear in schools and early learning services.
Notification through public health:
When there is a confirmed case in the community, public health officials will undertake a case investigation and work closely with the confirmed case to identify any close contacts, including any connection to a school or early learning service.
Health officials will then contact either the regional Director of Education or the school directly to provide direction on contact tracing and other relevant information.
We will support through communications to the school community based on this public health advice.
As a result of the case investigation, public health may be able to provide the following information:
- infectious period or information that the person was not infectious when at school
- any known activities onsite during that infectious period
- isolation end date and testing advice for contacts.
In addition to the case investigation by Health, identification of those in a school or early learning service who may also be considered contacts, is done through:
- timetable (which staff were onsite with which classes, groups, bubbles)
- attendance register
- visitor register.
The school will be supported through this process based on public health advice. Closing of the school may not be required and should only occur in consultation with direction from Health or in discussion with the Director of Education.
Notifications from staff, students, parents or caregivers:
In instances where a staff member, parent or caregiver first notifies the principal or service manager that they or their child are a confirmed case, the school will contact the regional Director of Education, who will then provide advice on some next steps. Their team will connect with public health services to seek advice on next steps for the school.
Closing the school may not be required and should only occur in consultation with direction from Health or in discussion with the Director of Education.
Case investigation can take some time to ensure the risk assessment undertaken by public health is based on good information.
If the case investigation is therefore still underway, as an interim measure to mitigate risk and if advised by the Director of Education to do so, the following actions can be taken:
- the confirmed case and their household should already be self-isolating
- as a precaution, those who have been in the same classroom/bubble/room as the confirmed case for the previous 48 hours can be asked to stay away, until public health advice has been received
- there is no testing requirement at this time for those individuals unless they are feeling unwell and are advised by Healthline or their GP to get tested
- the school will, however, be provided with specific guidance based on the public health risk assessment as soon as possible. This is likely to require any close contacts to self-isolate and get tested
- undertake a clean prior to the other students, children and staff returning on site.
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