02/02/2020
UPDATE FROM EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Saturday 1 February 2020
Updated advice on coronavirus
Dear colleagues,
As you may be aware, the situation regarding the emerging outbreak of novel coronavirus has continued to evolve.
The Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer have this afternoon recommended a stronger precautionary approach to managing coronavirus for travellers returned from mainland China (not including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) from today (1 February 2020).
This recommendation is that parents/guardians/carers should ensure that any child returning from mainland China (not including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) who was in mainland China on or after 1 February 2020 is isolated at home and should not attend an early childhood education service until 14 days after they were last in mainland China.
This recommendation does not apply retrospectively. It applies only to children or staff members who were in mainland China on or after 1 February 2020.
The existing advice remains that parents/guardians/carers of children should ensure that any child is isolated at home and should not attend an early childhood education service for 14 days:
following exposure to any confirmed novel coronavirus case; or
after leaving Hubei Province.
This same advice applies to any impacted staff.
The Commonwealth has also advised that: “additional border measures will be implemented to deny entry to Australia to people who have left or transited through mainland China from 1 February 2020, with the exception of Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family and air crews who have been using appropriate personal protective equipment”.
Services should inform their staff and families of this new advice through the service’s communication channels with parents.
Please refer to the Department’s coronavirus web page, where the latest advice including factsheets (with translations) for early childhood education service and parents will be uploaded as soon as available.
Additional advice and information on the steps to take can be found on the coronavirus web page which also includes advice on:
maintaining good health hygiene at the early childhood education service
health promotion posters and materials
information, resources and contacts related to coronavirus.
This new advice is based on the latest expert recommendations of the Commonwealth’s Chief Medical Officer and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer.
Thank you for your continued support and work to ensure the health and wellbeing of your early childhood education service’s community.
Kim Little
Deputy Secretary
Early Childhood Education
