Western Australia to ease COVID rules for schools
Parents are worried their children will bear permanent damage from the COVID restrictions, a new survey has found. Photo: AAP Photo: AAP
Western Australia will ease some COVID-19 restrictions in schools, with parents allowed back and events to return.
Education Minister Sue Ellery said from the beginning of term two, on April 26, parents will be able to return to schools for face-to-face activities including assemblies, parent-teacher meetings and volunteer roles.
Parents can once again participate in outdoor school pick-up and drop-off, and visit residential facilities like boarding houses.
“I know this will be welcome news to parents whose children attend school away from home,” Ms Ellery told reporters in Perth.
School sporting events and balls can resume, while performances including musicals can return with up to 75 per cent capacity.
School camps remain postponed, but Ms Ellery said this would be looked at again in the first week of term two.
The WA government will distribute another one million rapid antigen tests and 2000 air purifiers to public and non-public schools for the start of term two.
Mask wearing will continue to be required in all schools for students in year 3 and above, however some contact tracing rules will ease.
Schools will only have to identify close contacts from within the school and the amount of information schools must report upon confirmation of a positive case will be reduced.
WA reported 8910 new cases on Tuesday and six deaths, including one person aged in their 80s who died with the virus on Monday.
The remaining five deaths were in people aged in their 70s and 80s who died in previous days.
There are 219 people in WA hospitals with COVID-19, including six in ICU.
– AAP