The Papatoetoe community has responded to a call to get tested, after a Year 9 student at their local South Auckland school contracted Covid-19.
1 NEWS spoke to dozens waiting for a test this morning at Papatoetoe High School, with a pop-up centre designated for the school community opening at 9am.
Principal Vaughn Couillaut said the student, one of the three community cases announced yesterday, had only been at school for one day.
“It could have been a lot worse,” he told Breakfast earlier today.
He said the number of close contacts of the student had been narrowed down to fewer than 50. This was made up of about five teachers and one class.
Couillaut expected about 2500 tests would be completed at the school of 1400 pupils in the coming days.
One parent said she wasn’t too worried because “all the precautions” had been taken. Her son wasn’t a close contact of the student who contracted the virus, but was asked to be tested.
One student said it was “kind of scary to hear about it".
"I never know how much its spread across the school, she said, adding that she worried about her little brother, who was also at the school.
As for her studies, the student said she was slightly worried about having to learn online, but that she’d been through it last year.
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault told 1 NEWS it was about keeping everyone safe. (Source: Other)
One teacher said he wasn’t too worried about his students’ learning.
“Students are pretty adaptable .. They’ll be OK as long as they engage online and their parents try and support them with that. There shouldn’t be any issues,” he said.
“There are a lot of schools. It’s just unfortunate that it was hours. But, luckily, the staff are pretty good.”
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