Covid 19 Coronavirus: West Auckland High School Student Tests Positive for Covid-19

A West Auckland high school was forced to close for a deep cleaning after a student tested positive for Covid-19.

The Ministry of Education informed St. Dominic’s Catholic College of the news Tuesday afternoon, parents were informed.

Principal Anna Swann said the girls’ college would be closed for 72 hours for a deep cleaning and would reopen next Monday.

“I understand that this may cause some feelings of concern and concern among some families, but I want to assure you that we are being closely guided by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health,” Swann wrote in a letter to parents.

“If you know the identity of the family student with Covid-19, please do not reveal their names or details to anyone else and discourage your children from speculating or identifying them on social media.”

Such speculation could lead to online harassment and abuse, he said.

All school activities to be held at the high school, including senior exams, were on hold until further notice, Swann said.

Only cleaning contractors could be on the school grounds for the next 72 hours.

Henderson North Elementary School is just a nine-minute walk from the school.

Holy Cross Catholic School Principal Janice Borsos shared the news about St. Dominic’s Catholic College with parents tonight.

“I request that you keep children who have a sibling at home at home,” she shared online.

“Yes, I am being very cautious, but I am trying to keep all of our children safe.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced today six new cases of Covid-19, four in the community and linked to the “mini-cluster” of the Evangelical Church Fellowship Mt Roskill.

Auckland Regional Public Health was actively tracking and testing their contacts.

Two of the cases are in controlled isolation: One is a man in his 20s who arrived from the Philippines on September 3 and was in a managed isolation facility when he tested positive on the third day of his stay.

The second case is a woman in her teens who arrived on the same flight from the Philippines and also tested positive on day 3.

Four people with Covid-19 remain in the hospital: two are stable and isolated, one in the Middlemore hospitals and one in the North Shore, and two are in the ICU, in the North Shore and Waikato hospitals.

With today’s six new cases and an additional recovered case, the total number of active cases from New Zealand is 123. Of these, 43 are imported cases in managed isolation facilities and 80 are community cases.