NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced the state’s back to school plan, with students set to return to classrooms within days.
Under the plan, high school students will be required to wear masks and students and teachers will be asked to take two rapid antigen tests per week for the first four weeks of school.
Watch video above to learn all the details of the back to school plan
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“It’s incredibly important and we’ve been working day and night to ensure that we get kids back in the classroom in a safe way on day one, term one,” Premier Perrottet said.
“We all know kids do better at school – not just from an educational perspective but from a mental health and social outcome perspective. It’s where our kids learn the best and where opportunity is created.”
Masks are also highly recommended for students from Year 3 and above. Additionally, visits to schools will be limited and COVID-safe plans will be put in place for excursions.
Activities such as sport, music and camps will also go ahead with COVID-safe plans in place.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said COVID transmission in schools is likely once children are back in class.
She asked parents to take measures to help reduce the risk of exposure and transmission.
“I do ask that parents in that first four weeks try to minimise their children’s activities or connections with other children and sleepovers and other activities that might drive infection, so that we can preserve that face-to-face time at school while but community level of transmission is high,” she said.
But Education Minister Sarah Mitchell announced schools will not close if a case is detected in the school community.
“But parents and carers and family members will be notified if there is COVID in your school community so you can monitor for symptoms and your children,” she said.
“For our students who are home because they have COVID or they might be a household contact, we will of course a lot of material available to support you learning from home for week, if you need to.”
Ms Mitchell also said students and teachers will be asked to get tested before the first day of term.
Teachers will also be added to the list of essential workers in the state. This means if they are a close contact, they will be able to return to work so long as a negative result is returned on a RAT and they are asymptomatic.
“Some teachers may be symptomatic and some may have a member of the household who is a small child who needs looking after, they need to stay at home,” Ms Mitchell said.
“We won’t be demanding that teachers who are household contacts but are negative and well to come back, that will be an option that is available to them should they choose to.”
Schools will be in touch with parents and carers about how to access rapid antigen test kits for students.
Millions of rapid antigen tests are set to be distributed to schools and childcare centres across NSW.
COVID update
Meanwhile, NSW recorded 20,324 cases of COVID on Sunday as hospitalisations in the state decreased.
There are now 2712 people being cared for in hospital - down from 2762 on Saturday.
Of those in hospital, 189 are in intensive care - a drop from 204 the day before.
The state also recorded another 34 deaths, the health department announced.