Maitland High School

Successful Teachers, Successful Students, Successful School

Telephone02 4933 7933

Emailmaitland-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

COVID-19 update Maitland High School

NSW Government logo.

Dear school community member

A member of our school community has tested positive to COVID-19. If you or your child

were at school on 14 December and/or 15 December 2021, you may be impacted on these

exposure dates.

NSW Education has advised that students in 9P Maths, 9-2101 Catering 2101 period 2, 9A

English, 9A HSIE, 9P Science on Tuesday 14 December 2021, and 9P Science, 9 PASS

2101 in MPC, 9P Maths & 9 School Sport T494 in Room 32 on Wednesday 15 December

2021 and staff who worked with this group of students on these dates have been identified

as a casual contact of the confirmed case. Casual contacts are required to immediately get

a nose and throat (PCR) test and to self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

COVID-19 transmission in school communities has been high due to the close interactions

that children and young people have with each other. This is particularly so with the new

Omicron variant of concern, which on early information is demonstrating a 10-fold increase

in transmission. Most people who have been exposed to a person with COVID-19 will test

positive within the first 7 days of exposure, with some still likely to transmit for up to 14 days.

There are around 9% of children who will transmit to other children, with about a third of

these during the second week following exposure.

It is therefore recommended that, as a contact of a person with COVID-19 you should

consider your personal and family circumstances and those you may come into contact with

in managing the risks associated with potential transmission. You should avoid high risk

settings (health care, aged care, correctional facilities) where possible, and take extra

precautions around vulnerable people including family members, for 14 days after your last

exposure. You should also have another nose and throat (PCR) test six days after

exposure.

You should also consider undertaking a rapid antigen test before family functions or visiting

vulnerable family or friends to minimise the risk of transmission. Rapid antigen test kits are

now widely available in chemists, supermarkets and other retailers / online.

NSW Health would like to remind you that anyone who has been unwell or if you develop

any symptoms such as a fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, loss of

smell/taste, muscle/joint pains, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting or extreme tiredness is to be

tested at one of the COVID-19 testing clinics. Do not visit family, friends or attend events or

gatherings if you have any symptoms.

The Department of Education is working closely with NSW Health and we will be in contact

with you should any of this advice change.

Further information on COVID-19 is available on the NSW Government website.

If you need practical support or have non-urgent health-related questions during isolation,

call NSW Health on 1800 943 553.

Thank you for your support.

Melissa Schatz – Principal (relieving)