NSW Health will assist three Catholic schools in Western Sydney with cleaning and undertake contact tracing after they closed following confirmation four children have now been confirmed positive with COVID-19.
All four of the cases are associate with the ongoing Thai Rock cluster with two cases linked to Our Lady of Lebanon church.
Two of the cases attended Cerdon College in Merrrylands. The school is closed while contact tracing and cleaning is underway.
One of the cases attended Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School in Bossley Park. The school is closed while contact tracing and cleaning is underway.
One of the cases attended Freeman Catholic College at Bonnyrigg Heights School. The school is closed while contact tracing and cleaning is underway.
Close contacts of all the cases are being notified to undertake 14 day self-isolation after their last contact with the case/s and undertake testing for COVID19 if they develop symptoms.
All other children, staff, and families of those who attend or work at these schools are encouraged to seek testing if they develop symptoms.
While most cases have been linked to known clusters, community transmission continues and NSW Health is calling on people across the state to redouble their efforts to stop the virus spreading.
Key messages for the community are:
- Avoid non-essential travel and gatherings. Of particular concern is transmission in venues such as hotels and restaurants, the gym and social gatherings.
- Anyone feeling unwell - even with the mildest of symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat - must seek testing and self-isolate until they get the result. Stay at home, and do not go to work or catch public transport until you are cleared of COVID-19
- At all times stay 1.5 m from other people. Don't go anywhere there is crowding.
- Clean your hands regularly with soap and running water for 20 seconds or use alcohol base hand rub.
- Cough and sneeze into your elbow.
- Don't host, or go to, a gathering of more than 10 people at home.
- Don't go to the gym unless the equipment is thoroughly cleaned before and after customer use by supervising staff or yourself, and there is good spacing between machines and customers.
- Consider using a mask in situations where you are unable to social distance.
A full list of COVID-19 testing clinics is available, and people can visit their GP.
