A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.
Wainui Beach School is soldiering on with more than a third of staff and students off sick.
Yesterday 98 children were away, with 32 confirmed Covid cases. Ten staff were absent, seven of those with Covid. This is a significant number for a school with a roll of 270 children.
“Two teachers with their own kids have Covid,” said principal Nolian Andrew. “Symptoms vary, from a sniffly nose to no symptoms yet testing positive. There are a lot of colds, sneezes everywhere.”
The new entrant class of 29 students was down to just 10 students yesterday.
Mrs Andrew said they were coping, and were luckier than last year when people had to stay at home if a member of their family was sick. Classes are being combined but the low numbers made this manageable.
“People just need to please keep their kids home. If their children aren’t well, test them and keep them home.
“We sent at least 10 kids home yesterday,” said Mrs Andrew.
The Tairāwhiti area reported 89 new Covid cases over the past week. The Canterbury district recorded the highest number of active cases at 537. Te Whatu Ora website graphs highlight an overall decline in case numbers across the country.
