He Pānui Kōhungahunga
COVID-19 update - 3 March 2022
He Pānui Kōhungahunga
Tēnā hoki koe i ngā āhuatanga o te wā,
It’s been an historic week domestically and internationally. Both the events at Parliament and in Ukraine are sobering. Both will have long term effects.
I know these events will have impacted you, your staff and your tamariki directly, and they have also been felt throughout Aotearoa.
As one of our Wellington school leaders said today, the focus is on how we provide for the continued safety, wellbeing and learning of our community.
He tino pai tō mahi, you've done a great job – I encourage you to also take time for your own wellbeing.
In today’s bulletin, we have information about cases and household contacts, including template letters for your early learning service if you wish to use them.
Kia kaha,
Iona
Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Mātauranga | Secretary for Education
Emergency closure for staffing issues
We know that staffing is a challenge for many services and is likely to remain so throughout the peak of the Omicron wave.
While it is important that early learning services are open for children who need to attend, there are still bottom-line health and safety requirements that need to be met. This includes having the right ratios of adults, first aiders and Persons Responsible for the number of children attending.
If COVID-19 has impacted your staffing to the point where you’re not sure whether you can open safely, contact your local Te Mahau office to discuss your situation.
Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education
At the 'Red' setting, emergency closure funding may be available for services that are unable to open due to COVID-19 related staff absences.
A reminder that staff are required to self-isolate if they are a household contact of someone with COVID-19 or are showing symptoms of having COVID-19. Those previously considered close contacts are not currently required to self-isolate unless they are showing COVID-19 symptoms.
When should COVID-19 cases and contacts end their isolation?
As you know, a person confirmed to have COVID-19 must currently isolate for a minimum of 10 days and until they are symptom-free. If they are still sick, they should stay home until they are well.
Day zero for isolation is from the date they either developed symptoms or were tested if they do not have symptoms.
Their household contacts, who must also isolate, will be tested on day three and 10 of the case’s isolation period. The case does not need to have any further tests after their initial confirmation test (they have already tested positive).
If a household contact tests negative on day three and day 10 and are symptom free, they can return to their early learning service on day 11.
There is a helpful tool on the Unite Against COVID-19 website that calculates a person’s isolation period.
If you have COVID-19 – Unite against COVID-19
You might also find the below graphic useful.
Children returning from isolation as a household contact
We’ve had a number of queries regarding instances where children have completed their required 10 days’ isolation but other household members test positive within those 10 days.
Currently there is no legal requirement for household members to remain in isolation beyond the initial 10-day period once they have returned a negative day 10 test.
The same isolation rules that apply to older children and adults also apply for children under the age of five.
What does it mean if I’m a household contact? – Ministry of Health
If children have returned from isolation and develop symptoms they should stay at home until they are symptom-free and have returned a negative test result.
It’s important that anyone with symptoms remains at home until they are symptom-free for at least 48 hours.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed that a household contact is someone who:
- shares a house or flat with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 (a case) on a permanent or part time basis (that shared custody) and
- spent at least one night or day (more than 8 hours) in that residence while the case was infectious.
Just spending time with someone inside a home or a home-based care setting does not make you a household contact.
If a child has spent a day or night in a home where there is a shared care arrangement, and someone in that home was infectious at the time, they are considered to be a household contact.
If they move to the other home during their required period of self-isolation, they must continue to isolate when in that other home.
A reminder that they cannot return to early learning until they have finished their period of isolation and have received their day three and day 10 test results.
Letter templates for confirmed contacts
We’ve had a number of requests for letter templates to be used when there is a COVID-19 case in your early learning service.
We have two templates attached:
The first letter can be used for the general early learning service community advising families / whānau of a COVID- 19 case in the early learning service.
Template letter for the early learning community about a confirmed case of COVID-19 [DOCX, 20.5 KB]
The second letter is for whānau of potential contacts of the case. It advises where the case was in the early learning service and allows you to customise it for the infectious period.
Template letter for contacts of a confirmed case of COVID-19 [DOCX, 17.6 KB]
Reminder: Accessing rapid antigen tests
As in our bulletin on 22 February, we have been allocated a supply of rapid antigen tests (RATs) to support the close contact exemption scheme.
If you are seeking exemptions for one or more of your staff, RATs are available through our Te Mahau offices – do not approach the Ministry of Health.
Accessing rapid antigen tests – Early Learning Bulletin 22 February
To make sure you’re eligible for RATs under the scheme, please complete this checklist:
Rapid antigen test checklist [DOCX, 51.0 KB]
Rapid antigen tests should only be used as a last resort, where you otherwise wouldn’t have enough people available onsite to supervise children who need to be there.
Mataara: Update your emergency contact details
If your emergency contact person for your centre has changed, ensure you update your regional education adviser at your local Te Mahau office with the new emergency contact details.
Local Te Mahau offices – Ministry of Education
These details are used to text you from Mataara if we need to contact you in an emergency.
A reminder that emergency messages from Mataara will come from the number 8707 and should always start with ‘Message from Ministry of Education’ or ‘Message from MOE’. They may request a response, but this will not incur a charge.
Novavax vaccine approved
On 1 March the Government announced that the Novavax vaccine has been approved for use for people over the age of 18.
The Ministry of Health is working on the delivery schedule and roll-out start date.
The Pfizer vaccine still remains the preferred vaccine for most New Zealanders.
We will update you when we have further information.
First aid unit standards review – survey ends 11 March
Toitū te Waiora is the new standard setting body for first aid unit standards.
A review is underway of the following unit standards:
- 6400 Manage first aid in an emergency situation
- 6401 Provide first aid
- 6402 Provide basic life support
- 25459 Provide first aid for young children.
If you want to provide feedback on the unit standards please complete survey that closes Friday 11 March.
