Returning to COVID-safe schools ahead of vaccine rollout

Teachers’ groups say Australia could avoid more school shutdowns this year by giving staff the vaccine when it becomes available. But Australia’s vaccine rollout plan gives priority to those with increased risk of exposure to the virus and then to those with increased risk of developing severe illness.

Preparing a daycare facility for returning to classes Source: E+

Russia gave its teachers access to its Sputnik V vaccine in the first priority group, and a British petition to give teachers vaccine priority has now garnered almost half a million signatures.

Australian Medical Association Chris Moy told SBS News that while teachers definitely fill an essential role in society, that role is not particularly high risk for contracting COVID-19.

"Urgency is there, but urgent relative to others and they will need to look at this ranking in quite a long queue. For example, I think hotel quarantine, and aged care residents and workers and staff and hospital frontline staff or police are going to be probably much higher because their risk is going to be higher. So, we need to look at a combination of risk and who's likely to sicker and severe disease when making these decisions."

So if staff and students aren't high up the vaccine priority list, how can schools stay COVID-safe in the meantime?

While schools are governed by states and territories, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has given schools across the nation a set of guidelines to protect staff and students from COVID-19.

These include measures like breaking off into smaller classes, rearranging classroom furniture to maximise distancing and, where possible, staggering lunch breaks to minimise mixing between different year levels.

People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Find out what restrictions are in place for your state or territory.

Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.

SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at http://www.sbs.com.au/coronavirus

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