Close contact changes,streamlining school closures on the agenda

The NSW government will reassess the need for close contacts of COVID-19 cases to isolate when senior ministers meet next week,with Premier Dominic Perrottet signalling the state would reconsider school closures and strict isolation rules for students.

It is expected the state could adopt the same model as Victoria where fully vaccinated non-household close contacts will no longer need to isolate for seven days,and instead only need to quarantine until receiving a negative PCR test result. It is anticipated this will extend to school children aged under 12.

After major disruption to thousands of students across hundreds of schools in NSW,the state’s Education Minister Sarah Mitchell this week announced unvaccinated primary school studentswill now only have to self-isolate for the first seven days after being exposed to COVID-19,as long as they return negative rapid antigen tests for the following week.

It comes as Victoria scrapped isolation for unvaccinated students,allowing them to return to the classroom if they have had a negative test and take daily rapid antigen tests before school.

Asked on Friday about the Victorian model for schools and whether it was becoming unsustainableto open and close hundreds of them in NSW,Premier Dominic Perrottet said:“We’re looking at it.”

“My expectation is that that will be discussed at our COVID and Economic Recovery Committee meeting next week,” he said.

Mr Perrottet said there had been challenges,but the vast majority of schools had remained open.

“We led the way in getting kids back in the classroom,” he said.

“We want to make it as easy as possible and streamline it ... in circumstances if there is a positive case because there will be positive cases in schools.

“But we don’t want to close them for a substantial period of time. I don’t want kids sitting at home,I want them in the classroom. That’s good for them[and] it’s also good for parents.”

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Mr Perrottet was also pressed on why Victoria had removed capacity limits in cafés and restaurants for the fully vaccinated while NSW still has a density limit in hospitality settings of one person per two square metres.

He said he did not want to be compared to the state,noting its record of days spent in lockdown,and that NSW would “continue to lead,particularly ... in relation to schools”.

“By December 15,in this state,almost every single restriction will be lifted,” Mr Perrottet said.

As per the state’s road map,by December 15 or when NSW reaches 95 per cent full vaccination,whichever comes first,restrictions will ease further including non-critical retail reopening to the unvaccinated.

According to federal government figures published on Friday afternoon,the vaccination coverage for the population in NSW aged 16 and over is 94.33 per cent first dose and 91.67 per cent second dose.

For 12- to 15-year-olds in NSW,80.88 per cent have had one dose and 74.93 per cent two doses.

NSW recorded 216 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths,including two men aged in their 50s and 60s who were not vaccinated. A third man,in his 80s,died in Albury and had received one vaccine dose.

Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said on Fridayhe supported retiring the use of QR codes in lower-risk settings in the “near future”,but checking in to high-risk zones such as gyms,weddings and pubs will likely remain into next year.

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