29th July 2020
The following is correspondence sent to the Girton Grammar School community from the Acting Head, Dr Emma O’Rielly.
Dear Parents, Staff and Students
CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASE IN FAMILY MEMBER OF GIRTON STUDEN
Bendigo Health has confirmed with me this evening that a family member of a child in the Senior School has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). The family member has not been on the Senior School or Junior School campus of Girton in the past two weeks.
We do not yet have confirmation of a positive COVID-19 case in the student population.
We have contacted the Department of Health and Human Services and been advised not to close the school.
We have contacted relevant staff members and families who have children who may have been in close contact with a potential COVID-19 case at school. As a precaution, these staff and students have been asked to remain at home and to await further advice from us.
If you have NOT been contacted by a member of the Girton Coronavirus Action Team, there is no further action required of you.
You may also be aware that Catherine McAuley College and St Joseph’s School in Quarry Hill have today been closed owing to confirmed COVID-19 cases within their school communities. We are aware that many people in our community have been in recent contact with individuals from these two schools, or with family members connected to these schools.
If you have had close contact with someone from either of these schools or their families in the past week, please remain at home for the remainder of this week, monitor your health and seek medical advice.
Close contact, according to DHHS is: face-to-face contact for more than 15 minutes or sharing a closed space for more than two hours with a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) when they were infectious.
Our school community has been respectful and vigilant throughout the Coronavirus pandemic. Now is the time to ensure that we continue to act in a morally responsible way, respecting the wishes of individuals and being kind and tolerant with one another.
You will receive further correspondence from me as soon as we have any further information.
Yours sincerely
Dr Emma O’Rielly
Acting Head
