New restrictions will be imposed on New South Wales government schools as the state tries to stem new coronavirus outbreaks.
NSW recorded seven new infections on Monday from 10,806 tests. Six are locally acquired, while one is a returned traveller in Hotel Quarantine.
Three are close contacts linked to the Chopstix Asian Cuisine cluster, with another two linked to the Our Lady of Mercy College.
The seven new cases came as the NSW government announced a ban on formals, dances, graduation ceremonies, choirs and all social events in government schools.
A string of school closures, the latest being Sydney Girls High on Monday, prompted the NSW Education department to announce new COVID-safe rules.
From Wednesday, all public schools in the state will be required to adopt the changes to ensure communities remain safe inside and outside the school gate, said an education department statement issued on Monday.
Anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 is prohibited from returning to school until a negative test result has been reported.
Under additional measures for term three:
- Students must remain within their relevant class or year group to limit mixing
- Schools must not travel outside their local community or zone, including between rural and regional areas
- Interschool sport and zone carnivals are restricted to 100 people per venue and must be held in the local area
- Spectators, including parents and carers, are not permitted within school grounds or at sporting events held during school hours
- All group singing and other chanting activities, as well as the use of wind instruments in group settings, are not permitted
- Dance activities and drama group work can continue under a COVID-19 Safety Plan
- School formals, dances, graduations or other social events are not permitted
- Schools may hold a Year 12 assembly at school without parents to recognise the completion of school or consider delaying events until later in the year.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said singing, chanting and the use of wind instruments carry a high risk of transmission.
"We have increasingly become aware around the way that droplets and aerosols can be generated by those activities," she said.
"We know this virus is very challenging and what we have learned is even having very, very low levels of grumbling transmission mean that you only then need one transmission event, which is non-recognised, to set up that chain."
However, students and staff required to support HSC students are permitted to undertake activities to meet their HSC requirements with COVID-19 safety measures in place.
Organisations that use school buildings or grounds must utilise a COVID-19 safety plan and encourage strict compliance.
The new restrictions are in addition to existing health advice for schools, including maintaining good hand hygiene, physical distancing for adults and the banning of non-essential school visitors.
Sydney Girls High School is closed for deep cleaning on Monday as it works with NSW Health to establish the infected girl's close contacts. All staff and students are asked to self-isolate while that process is underway.
'On a knife's edge'
Public health alerts have been issued for three new locations previously attended by positive cases.
Visitors to Parramatta Local Court, Woolworths Metro North Strathfield and DFO Homebush are urged to monitor their symptoms and come forward for testing if they feel ill.
While case numbers in NSW remain steady, health authorities are concerned low levels of transmission are still occurring in areas of Sydney’s west and south-west.
“While the case numbers have been pleasingly declining, my anxiety remains the same, if not slightly higher, because every week we have had an accumulation of undetected or unsourced cases,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Dr Chant has also raised concerns those with flu-like symptoms were not getting tested because they assume they don’t have the virus.
“We have very low rates of influenza circulating, so if you have respiratory symptoms …it is most likely that you have COVID, not flu,” she said.
“It is essential that people don't just think, ‘It's influenza’ or it's another respiratory virus and come forward for testing."
Dr Chant said the state remained "on a knife's edge" but she was pleased data showed more people were wearing masks in public.
Despite the effort to drive down community transmission she denied the state was pursuing an elimination strategy.
“Until we have a vaccine, or an effective treatment, we can never go back to normal.”
In a case included in Monday's figures, Parramatta Local Court was cleaned as a precaution on Sunday after a security guard tested positive to COVID-19.
The Department of Communities and Justice said the guard worked at the courthouse last Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
It said all close contacts had been identified and people at the courthouse between 8.30am and 12.30pm last Tuesday and Wednesday should watch for symptoms.
NSW Police on Sunday fined a party bus operator $5000 for breaching coronavirus health orders.
The 25-year-old drove the bus carrying 43 passengers from Penrith to the Sydney CBD when he was pulled over by police shortly after 11.15pm on Saturday.
He was charged over the number of passengers on board, including several who appeared to be underage and intoxicated.
Police also arrested a 17-year-old girl for cocaine possession.
Additional reporting by Naveen Razik.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
