Covid 19 coronavirus: St Cuthbert’s College will not reopen until sports equipment is tested

Elite Auckland St Cuthbert’s College girls’ school is the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic after a sports team played a match against Mt Albert Grammar.

St Cuthbert Director Justine Mahon said the Health Ministry reported that the seven members of the sports team are considered to be close contacts of a player from the opposing team who tested positive for the virus.

The player is believed to be the second case of the virus on Mt Albert Grammar, which tested positive on Thursday and is believed to have been infectious between August 5 and 11.

The sports game took place on August 6. Mahón declined to name the sport to protect the privacy of students.

Mt Albert staff and 3,000 students were also asked to be tested for the virus, but Mt Albert Principal Patrick Drumm has said the school will reopen Monday, even if the results are not available to all students. then.

He told parents in a newsletter on Friday that the Auckland Regional Public Health Service had “confirmed that it is safe for normal lessons to resume on site.”

“With nearly three weeks since the students were in school, the primary purpose of the testing is to provide more assurance to individuals and the community that any additional infection risk is low,” he said.

But Mahon said she was not willing to risk reopening the secondary school for students from Year 7 to Year 13 until all seven girls on the sports team had tested negative.

Five have already tested negative and now he is waiting for the remaining two.

The Education Ministry ordered all state and integrated schools in Auckland state to reopen for all students on Monday, but Mahon said private schools have “more freedom.”

“I think there is a difference between low risk and no risk, so I am waiting to hear from the last two families,” he said.

“Given the recent information that has come in on how young people, particularly teenagers, can transmit the virus, I just need to make sure that we can keep everyone safe.

“I hope they are negative, so we will reopen on Monday.”