Kia ora
Many of you will be aware that three of the five cases of COVID-19 confirmed in New Zealand have had links to four school communities. I appreciate this could be unsettling for some of you and so wanted to provide you with an update.
It was very reassuring to read the information from the Auckland Regional Public Health Service that the children in these families are not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 and are doing well. Because the children continue to not show any symptoms, they were not infectious when they were at school and the Ministry of Health is confident there is no risk for the students and staff in those schools.
You will also be interested to know that research published by the World Health Organisation notes that children and young people under 18 account for only 2.4% of all reported cases of COVID-19. This means we are unlikely to see widespread cases in schools and early learning services in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Health’s current advice is that with continued vigilance, the chance of widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low. So we all have a role here to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
Our school staff and leadership remain well prepared for the possibility there might be a case in our community. If that were to occur we are confident we can put our plans in place and know we will be supported by regional health authorities and the Ministry of Education.
I am sure you are all keen to do what you can to prevent the risk of infection. The best preventative steps are:
- wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and dry thoroughly
- avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- avoid sharing anything that has come in contact with saliva, whether in your living or social environments
- stay home when you are sick and seek medical attention
- cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the rubbish
- get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system.
We have displayed numerous posters throughout the school, including in the toilets to reinforce ‘Good Hygiene’ practices.
Please note that currently there is no valid reason to keep children away from our school due to worries you may have regarding COVID-19. However, it is important to remember that anyone who is ill for any reason, should not be attending school, to protect the rest of the school community.
If you want to know more about COVID-19 please make sure that any reading you are doing is from a reliable source. The Ministry of Health is the best source of information for New Zealand and they update this information regularly – https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus
The COVID-19 symptoms are a fever, coughing and difficulty breathing. If anyone has these symptoms and has recently been to a country or area of concern, or have been in close contact with someone confirmed with COVID-19, please encourage them to contact Healthline (for free) on 0800 358 5453 (or +64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or their doctor immediately.
Ngā mihi
Janine
COVID-19 Update 更新
亲爱的家长们您们好
相信许多人都知道，在新西兰确认的5宗 COVID-19 案例中，有3宗与四个学校社区有联系。我能理解这可能会造成您的困扰，因此学校将为您提供最新更新信息。
阅读完奥克兰地区公共卫生服务处的信息之后令人感到放心，这些受到影响家庭里的儿童没有表现出任何 COVID-19 的症状，并且身体状况良好。因为孩子们继续保持稳定状态，没有显示出任何症状，所以他们在学校时没有传染性，卫生部相信这些学校的学生和教职员工并没有受感染的风险。
您可能会想知道，世界卫生组织发表的研究报告指出，未满18岁的儿童和年轻人仅占所有 COVID-19 病例报告的 2.4％。这意味着我们不太可能在新西兰的学校和学前教育机构中看到广泛的病例。
卫生部目前的建议是，在大家持续保持警惕的情况下，社区广泛爆发的可能性很小。因此，我们所有人都必须发挥最大作用，减少 COVID-19 最大程度的传播。
我们学校的教职员工和领导层为可能发生的社区事件做好了充分的准备。如果真的发生任何感染病例，我们有信心得以实施我们的准备计划，并且清楚知道我们将得到地区卫生当局和教育部的帮助。
我非常肯定，您们会竭尽所能，防止感染的风险。而最好的预防步骤是：
- 经常用肥皂和水洗手至少 20 秒钟，然后彻底擦干
- 避免用没有清洗干净的手触摸眼睛，鼻子和嘴巴
- 避免在任何生活环境中或社交环境中分享与唾液接触过的任何东西
- 生病时留在家中并就医
- 用纸巾遮住咳嗽或打喷嚏，然后将纸巾丢到垃圾桶里
- 保证充足的睡眠并且注意饮食均衡，以确保良好的免疫系统。
我们在整个学校里张贴了许多海报，包括在厕所里，以加强 “ 良好的卫生习惯 ”。
值得注意的是，您可能对 COVID-19 感到担忧，但是目前并没有任何充分的理由让孩子留在家里不来学校上课。当然，最重要的还是请大家记住，不论因为任何原因而生病的人都不应该上学，以保护学校社区所有成员。
如果您想了解有关 COVID-19 的更多信息，请确保您所阅读的讯息都是来自可靠的来源。新西兰卫生部是新西兰最好的信息来源，他们会定期更新信息
-https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus
COVID-19 的症状为发烧，咳嗽和呼吸困难。如果有人出现这些症状，并且最近去过某个国家或地区，( 任何高危险地区 ) 或者与确认 COVID-19 病例的人有密切联系，请鼓励他们马上通过 0800 358 5453，或者是 ( +64 9 ） 358 5453（国际SIM卡）联系 Healthline（免费）。或者是他们的家庭医生。
