School excursions and sporting events have had to be cancelled or postponed indefinitely as schools in Wagga respond to the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic.
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The NSW Department of Education announced additional measures on Monday, aimed at staving any outbreak of the coronavirus in classrooms around the state.
"From Monday onwards, I expect school assemblies and substantial gatherings to be cancelled, along with all excursions," said Mark Scott, secretary to the department of education.
"These cancellations also extend to inter-school arts, sports, initiative activities and events."
Schools have not been closed in the Riverina, but some parents, including parent of two at Kildare Catholic College, Celia Connor, are making the decision to pre-emptively remove their children from the classrooms.
Ms Connor told The Daily Advertiser she felt fortunate enough to be able to make that decision given that her workplace has allowed her the flexibility to stay at home with them.
"It [coronavirus] will come here sooner or later and schools will have to close," she said.
"The decision is difficult for those who can't work from home."
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Ms Connor is well-equipped to provide a makeshift homeschooling situation, as she said several years ago she did teach her children on her own while they were travelling the country.
This too she recognised as a unique privilege.
"My children are in year 7 and 10, so they can afford to take a bit of time off school. It would be a different situation if they were in year 12," she said.
Ms Connor welcomed news that schools would be implementing social distancing strategies by cancelling non-essential travel and assembling.
"It's good news that assemblies will be cancelled," she said.
"But kids are kids. They aren't as good at personal hygiene as adults are and we don't really know how long the virus can live on a surface.
"Can it live for several hours on a desk, or a pen, for example? That would mean that anyone who uses that surface could potentially transmit the virus."
A spokesperson for the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga said that while the governing body would support parents' decisions, it would not be looking to close schools in Wagga while there remains no confirmed cases of the virus.
"Where possible, our staff have been asked to use online tools to facilitate many activities affected by the COVID-19 containment measures. This includes where we would normally bring school staff and leaders together for professional development beyond their school community," the spokesperson said.
In the meantime, however, the CEDWW and NSW Department of Education have advised all students returning from overseas travel to self-isolate for 14 days.
"Following the advice of the Department of Health, every student returning to Australia must undertake a 14 day isolation period. Students will also be given information about how to obtain medical attention if they experience symptoms whilst in self-isolation," the CEDWW spokesperson said.
"Students are welcome to return to school once the 14 day isolation period has been observed."
Among the cancellations this week will be the scheduled sporting carnivals at Mount Austin Public School, North Wagga Public School and Wagga High School.
In a statement to parents, Wagga High School confirmed all sporting trials and knock-out competitions in Wagga would be "temporarily ceased until further notice".
Similarly, Kooringal Primary School's science excursion to Charles Sturt University, which was to take place on Tuesday, will also be re-scheduled sometime in the future.
The inter-schools mountain biking challenge finals was due to take place at the weekend involving a number of students from the Wagga Christian College, but this too has been postponed.
This despite the NSW Department of Education statement on Monday by Mr Scott, that confirmed "local inter-school sport and other activities can proceed", as long as organsiers observe "reasonable precautions".