Sending children to school at Alert Level 3 'as safe as it's ever been', says infectious disease expert

Infectious diseases specialists say sending children back to school is “as safe as it's ever been” as schools prepare to re-open on Wednesday for voluntary attendance for students up to year 10

Associate Professor Tony Walls and Professor Philip Hill from Otago University said public health interventions against Covid-19 have been successful.

“With a lack of Covid-19 circulating in our community, fewer other viruses and bacteria than usual, and good systems for detection and contact tracing in place, it is as safe as it has ever been for children to attend school,” they said.

Mr Walls, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, told 1 NEWS studies from overseas showed Covid-19 affected children differently than adults.

“I can understand why parents might be scared or frightened of the prospect of sending their children back to school,” he said.

However, he urged parents to “think about the evidence that’s come from this specific outbreak”.

Mr Walls said the international research about Covid-19 in schools he’d been collating from the likes of Australia, Sweden and Singapore was initially surprising because it didn’t spread like influenza in that children weren’t the main vectors of transmission. The research also showed children seldom became sick enough to need to go to the hospital.

He said a “detailed study” released yesterday from New South Wales showed Covid-19 cases in schools didn’t easily transmit between children and to teachers. The study followed over 800 close contacts of 18 confirmed cases over 15 schools. It found no teachers or staff contracted Covid-19 from the cases and only two children did.

“I think that’s really reassuring,” he said of the research.

According to guidelines released by the Ministry of Education, only children who can't be cared for at home will return to school while others should stay at home.

"If there is a parent or caregiver available to look after children at home and school children have access to distance learning, children are encouraged to stay home," the guideline said.

A number of measures would be in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including new cleaning measures and staggered school entry times and break times to limit the number of students and parents gathering.