St Dominics Newcastle teacher quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19

LATEST UPDATE: St Dominics Newcastle to close temporarily

Curro Holdings confirmed this evening that a St Dominics teacher, who presented symptoms of Covid-19 during a screening process on June 5, has tested positive for the virus and was quarantined with immediate effect.

The test results were released on June 10.

The school is currently proceeding in compliance with the requirements of the Disaster Management Act and the guidelines of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), said Mari Lategan, Executive of Marketing and Communications at Curro Holdings, when contacted for comment.

“The safety of staff and learners remain Curro’s utmost priority. All procedures regarding deep cleaning and the sanitising of classrooms have been undertaken. Urgent consultation has commenced with the Department of Health,” she confirmed.

“Curro implores its learners and staff to continue to remain sensible and safe during this period and would like to express its gratitude towards all stakeholders for their commitment and effort over the past few challenging weeks. Curro continues to operate within the Department of Basic Education’s Standard Operating Procedures for Independent Schools.”

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Staff members and parents were informed of the situation in a letter sent out by the school. The letter was later published on social media.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Spokesperson for Education, Dr Imran Keeka (MPL) applauded the school for being responsible and following the precautions and regulations set out by the Department of Education and the Department of Health.

“Well done to the school and the teacher for going into immediate quarantine. From what I am given to understand, the screening process took place on June 5 so the staff member may not have had any contact with learners. Of course, protocols set out by the DOH would be followed and any contacts traced,” he said.

Dr Keeka was part of a delegation inspecting schools across KwaZulu-Natal for compliance with Covid-19 regulations, and said that many across the province faced several challenges including the quality of masks, improper sanitation stations, a flawed screening process and a lack of infrastructure.

“We have found that urban schools are generally in a better position of compliance as they have better resources than rural schools – which undoubtedly face their own challenges,” he revealed.

“People need to understand that while the reality of Covid-19 is frightening, this is not going anywhere anytime soon… People are scared and rightfully so. However, taking the necessary precaution is essential.”

Dr Keeka said in this specific instance, it would have made no sense to close the school, since St Dominics Newcastle had implemented proper and consistent safety measures prior to re-opening.

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