While we had good news of no locally acquired COVID-19 cases in Queensland today, the precarious position of the last few weeks has once again highlighted the need for schools to be ready to pivot to a new set of restrictions at a moment’s notice.  

We had hoped mask restrictions in schools might be able to be dispensed with by the end of the holidays but that has not been possible and more Local Government Areas have been included in the mask restrictions.  

These restrictions are set to be reviewed next week and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission will continue to provide updates regarding any changes to restrictions in schools. 

The most recent outbreaks have also led to a significant increase in exposure sites, including shopping centres which would have been visited by hundreds of school families over the holidays.  I encourage everyone to keep track of the current COVID-19 exposure sites listed on the Queensland Government website here. 

The conditions for border zone residents have also been a state of constant flux as outbreaks are detected in northern New South Wales. This has been particularly difficult for schools with students and staff living across the border. The conditions to be able to travel into Queensland are available here.