Very High Caseload Setting Information

Dear parent/carer

As you may be aware, the State Government has announced that Western Australia will move to very high caseload settings from 12.01am Thursday 10 March. 

As always, we continue to follow the latest WA Health advice.

Close contacts

The latest advice has changed some of the ways we will manage students who are close contacts of someone who is infectious. A reminder that students are considered close contacts if they are:

• Someone who has had close personal interaction with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period, including:
  • At least 15 minutes face to face contact where a mask was not worn by the exposed person and the person with COVID-19; or
  • Greater than two hours within a small room or a classroom environment with a person with COVID-19 during their infectious period, where masks have been removed for this period by the exposed person and the person with COVID-19 (note: others wearing masks in this scenario would not be a contact); or
  • Someone who is directed by WA Health that they are a close contact.
    
    
• Someone who is a household close contact: A household member or partner of a person with COVID-19 who has had contact with them during their infectious period.
  

Asymptomatic person

A person who is asymptomatic means they have no COVID-19 symptoms e.g. sore throat, cough, temperature.

Asymptomatic close contacts have no symptoms but are a close contact of an infectious person. They can now:

• continue attending school;
• attend before school care or after school care;
• attend school-based sporting or cultural training, practice, or events organised through the school and held immediately before or after school at their school; and
• travel between the student’s usual place of residence and their school.

At all other times when not at school, asymptomatic close contacts need to quarantine for seven days and get tested. This means that when not at school, students must remain in isolation at home and not go out.

As with other close contacts, students who are identified as close contacts should be tested on Day 1 (PCR or RAT test) and Day 6 (if a PCR test) or Day 7 (if a RAT).

Household close contact

If a member of your household is COVID-19 positive, then the whole household are deemed household close contacts and testing and isolation protocols will apply.

They should be tested on Day 1 (PCR test or RAT) and Day 6 (if a PCR test) or Day 7 (if a RAT).

However, if your child is unwell, they should stay at home and get tested. Your child cannot attend school if they have symptoms.  Your child must isolate for seven days and return only when they have a negative test and symptoms have disappeared.

As always, our priority is to continue face-to-face learning. If your child is required to isolate, we will provide them with learning to do at home.  If your child’s teacher is required to isolate, your child may have a different teacher for periods of time.  In some cases, we may need to rearrange extra-curricular school activities to ensure our teachers are in classrooms teaching. 

We are confident that we will minimise ‘close contacts’ with our continued wearing of masks whilst on the College grounds and in the classroom.  Student and staff health and well-being is our priority.

Thank you for your understanding as we take the necessary steps to keep our school safe and open for learning.

For more information on very high caseload protocols, visit wa.gov.au.

To find your closest PCR Testing facility, visit: https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/COVID-clinics

To register for your free RAT tests provided by the WA Government, visit: https://testkitpublic.digital.wa.gov.au/

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the school on 6235 7200.

Yours sincerely

Dr Karen Read

Principal

Sevenoaks Senior College