ANOTHER school is forced to close after a pupil tested positive for coronavirus as officials scramble to trace the source of NSW’s first student cluster
- Batemans Bay High School and Batemans Bay Public School have both closed
- One student from each NSW south coast school tested positive for coronavirus
- All staff and students will self isolate while contact tracing is completed
- NSW Health are trying to trace the source of a cluster at Tangara School for Girls
- There are 11 cases linked to the independent Catholic school in Sydney’s north
Two schools on the New South Wales south coast have closed after students tested positive for COVID-19.
Batemans Bay High School and Batemans Bay Public School will both be shut for cleaning on Tuesday after one student at each school tested positive for the virus.
All staff and students from both schools have been told to self-isolate while authorities notify close contacts of the patients.
‘The school will be non-operational tomorrow for the on-site attendance of staff and students to allow time for the school to complete the contact tracing process and have the school cleaned,’ a Batemans Bay High School statement said.
Batemans Bay High School and Batemans Bay Public School (pictured) will both also be shut for cleaning on Tuesday after one student at each school tested positive for the virus
All staff and students from both schools have been told to self-isolate while authorities notify close contacts of the patients. Pictured: Batemans Bay High School
A pop-up clinic will be set up at Hanging Rock between 9am and 5pm until Sunday to meet increased testing demand.
The schools are working with NSW Health to establish close contacts.
NSW health authorities are also working to trace the source of a COVID-19 cluster associated with Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook, in northwest Sydney.
There are now 11 cases linked to the independent Catholic school, including seven students and at least one teacher.
The school has closed its secondary campus until August 24 and its junior campus until at least Wednesday after the first COVID-19 case linked to the Opus Dei-connected school – a student – was diagnosed last week.
NSW Health said the source of the Tangara outbreak remained unclear, and all secondary students and staff were in self-isolation and being tested.
Five of the 14 cases reported in NSW on Monday were connected to the school with two more identified after the deadline for case numbers. These will be included in Tuesday’s numbers.
Nearby in Pennant Hills, St Agatha’s Catholic Church is undergoing deep cleaning after a parishioner who visited on August 5 and 6 tested positive to the virus, as is PharmaSave Pharmacy in Cherrybrook after an infected employee worked on August 6.
In western Sydney, Bonnyrigg Heights Public School will reopen on Tuesday after closing on Monday for cleaning after a primary school student tested positive.
NSW health authorities are also working to trace the source of a COVID-19 cluster of 11 cases associated with Tangara School for Girls in Cherrybrook (pictured)
Kids’ Early Learning Quakers Hill remains closed after children were exposed to the virus.
A second student at Our Lady of Mercy College in Parramatta has also been diagnosed with COVID-19, and the school campus is closed.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has urged people to avoid large gatherings and says older school students are more likely to transmit the virus.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian has reiterated the state is on high alert against the spread of the virus, following a huge outbreak in Victoria.