Covid-19 Omicron outbreak: 188 community cases today, 14 in hospital. Video / NZ Herald
More than 80 students and staff from a Waikato school are isolating after a Year 7 pupil who was at school last week tested positive for Covid.
The school was one of two in the region to learn they had a positive case over the long weekend.
On the evening of the first day back at school, last Thursday, Hamilton Christian School principal Shaun Brooker said he was informed by the family of the case that they had become close contacts.
He was told yesterday that the family's test had come back positive.
The school then scrambled to identify close contacts and notify parents during the Waitangi Day long weekend.
Eighty students and seven staff members were considered close contacts and were required to self-isolate and get tested.
"I am disappointed for all the families who heard mid-way through the long weekend break that they needed to return home and isolate," said Brooker.
Hamilton Christian School students and staff are isolating after a pupil tested positive for the virus. Photo / Google Maps
Brooker believe up to 50 additional students and staff would be considered to be secondary contacts and that they are still working to determine who they are.
In a post on the school's Facebook page it said all secondary contacts were required to self-isolate until the close contact returned a day five negative test.
Meanwhile, parents of Rototuna Junior and Senior High School students were also sent a message yesterday that a Covid-infected person was at school on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.
Emails had been sent to all families of close contacts, according to a post made to the school's Facebook page.
The school's principal, Fraser Hill, would not comment on how many students and staff members were close contacts.
While the school has a roll of 1400 pupils, Hill said there were only around 430 students present on the two days.
"We had low numbers of students at school on these days as we welcomed only our new students," said Hill.
The case began to feel unwell last Wednesday and they got tested.
This test came back negative the day after but because they were still unwell Hill asked them to remain at home.
"They then got tested again and returned a positive test over the weekend," said Hill.
He said the situation was unsettling but the school would aim to run programmes as normal with relief staff and senior leaders covering classes.
Staff that were isolating were well placed to assist remote learning.
"The start of year is definitely more of a challenge for us. Our priority to ensure we communicate as best we can with our wider community, support anyone who is unwell and keep programmes running for those learners that are at school," said Hill.
