21 March, 2020
Tēnā koutou e te whānau,
With the announcement that New Zealand has moved to Alert Level 2 – Reduce Contact for COVID-19, people over 70 years of age and those with compromised immunity and certain existing medical conditions are asked to remain at home as much as they can from now on and avoid any non-essential travel. We would ask that whānau follow this advice. More detail can be found below.
Tiakina te whānau whānui
E te iwi, as a kura we are committed to supporting you just as you support our kaupapa. We understand that the current situation we find ourselves in could cause hardship. Please let us know if you require support. If you know of another whānau who may require support speak with them and encourage them to contact us. Whatever practical support we can offer, we will – for example, we have a letter of support that we can supply for whānau to take to Work and Income if required.
High risk individuals
While the majority of people who are confirmed with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, some individuals are at risk of more severe symptoms.
Older people, particularly those with pre-existing health problems are more likely to get severe illness and are therefore considered at risk. High risk individuals also include people with underlying medical conditions, such as:
- a compromised immune system
- liver disease
- cancer
- kidney disease
- heart disease
- diabetes mellitus
Further information is available at:
https://covid19.govt.nz/help-and-advice/for-everyone/vulnerable-people/
School transport
The Ministry of Education is working with the bus companies to assess the impacts on school transport as some drivers are over 70 years of age. We will advise as soon as possible if our buses are effected.
A casual contact is someone who has had contact with a case but doesn’t meet the criteria for a close contact. This could mean someone travelling on the same aeroplane who was seated away from the case. For example, they were only close to the person with COVID-19 for less than 15 minutes or were at the same place but not near them.
Teacher Only Days
A reminder that Monday (23 March) and Tuesday (24 March) are Teacher Only Days and students will need to stay at home on these days. Kaiako will be using this time to prepare learning packages to be distributed in the event that our kura has to close.
During this time I would ask that whānau encourage students to continue with their mahi from kura and explain that students need to stay at home to avoid any increased risk of exposure to this virus.
If you have any questions about any of the information in this letter do not hesitate to contact me.
Ngā manaakitanga e te iwi,
Duane Allen
Tumuaki
