Australian students prepare to return to school as govt eases lockdown measures

Students in Australia prepare to return to school full-time next week while adhering to the social distancing norms, as life returns to normal. Major airlines such as Qantas Airways also detailed new safety measures as air travel prepares to resume after the country reported fewer cases of the novel coronavirus and announced it was “under control”, according to reports. 

New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian issued a directive to lift childcare responsibility for the parents and carers of around 800,000 children in public schools as Australia prepares to restart its economy and opt for ways to curb the unemployment, as per media reports.

Under a three-step federal government plan, Australia has allowed the more public activity to resume after the states suspended the 2 months lockdown to stem the spread of the COVID-19 disease. During the period of time when children were learning from home, the administration made sure that everything was in place to prepare the schools for a COVID-save environment, Berejiklian said while speaking at a press conference in Sydney. Therefore, henceforth, not all schools will be closed, she added. 

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State teacher's union surprised

Cautioning about the resurgence of COVID-19, Berejiklian told the press conference that it was almost certain individual schools would need to close temporarily in the future. This would be to prevent fresh outbreaks, she added. However, in neighbouring Victoria, the schools would not resume until next time with full-time lessons for the students but would continue on a staggered basis. Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos reportedly said that the decision to reopen schools caught the state’s teacher's union by surprise, it caused a lot of concern among teachers and principals. 

In New South Wales, no new cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded for the first time since the pandemic hit in the south-eastern state of Australia. Premier Berejiklian said it was a “milestone” for the state in the fight against the COVID-19, however, she said people must not be complacent at a press conference. NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty told the press conference that the community must take the threat of coronavirus seriously, despite the extraordinary result. The virus will be bubbling around beneath the surface in the community, Dr. McAnulty said. New South Wales accounts for more than 40% of Australia’s 7,059 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. 

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(Image Credit: AP)