Teachers unions are calling on the New South Wales state government to extend the supply of rapid antigen tests for staff and students, saying the program has helped to curb Covid-19 transmission in classrooms.
Despite Victoria on Thursday announcing its near-identical school plan would be extended until the end of the term, the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, indicated his state was still working through details.
More than 12,000 NSW students tested positive using rapid tests in the second week of school, an increase of nearly 50% on the 8,100 students who tested positive in week one.
A further 521 staff also tested positive in NSW schools during the second week of term.
Victoria has recorded infections for 18,825 students and 1,934 teachers since the start of the term, and the state’s education minister, James Merlino, said modelling from the Burnet Institute showed rapid testing had prevented 21,000 further cases.
The Victorian government will provide 24m rapid antigen tests to schools and early childhood education centres in addition to 15.6m tests already provided.
“[The] modelling shows that will prevent a further 61,000 cases in students and 150,000 cases in the community,” Merlino said on Thursday.
In NSW, Perrottet announced that indoor mask mandates would be dropped for most settings from 25 February but that schools were being considered separately.
The NSW Independent Education Union acting secretary, Carol Matthews, urged the government to follow Victoria’s lead, given the number of students still testing positive.
“It is a critical element of keeping school communities safe,” he said.
Matthews also said it would be “unfair” for staff and parents to have to pay for rapid tests.
“It puts [teachers] under undue financial strain at a time when their salaries are not keeping pace,” Matthews said.
“They are frontline staff and should not be burdened with this added expense.”
The NSW plan announced at the end of January also limits interaction between year groups and calls for the use of surgical masks indoors.
The measures had made for a tough start to the year for teachers, according to the NSW Teachers Federation president, Angelo Gavrielatos, but he wanted to see the strategy continue.
“Teachers will tell you how challenging it is,” he said.
“They’ll say that’s very challenging in the operations of a school. They’ll tell you how challenging it is teaching behind a mask. But they also know that these measures are necessary. They are an extra line of defence against the spread of Covid.”
While the state was still recording thousands of cases every day, Gavrielatos said risk mitigation was key.
“Rapid antigen tests, while not perfect, are identifying cases before they enter school sites,” he said.
“It makes sense to continue with rapid antigen testing. You can never overcompensate when it comes to the implementation of risk mitigation strategies.”
Perrottet thanked parents who had helped their kids take part in the twice-weekly surveillance testing that was initially introduced for the first four weeks of term.
“I know it has been a challenge for many,” he said.
“It’s been incredibly successful and instilling confidence in both our teachers and our parents.”
