Covid-19: Papatoetoe High School identifies close contacts of student community case

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Hi South Auckland neighbours,

Papatoetoe High School is closed today and tomorrow after being named as one of three locations visited by someone who tested positive for Covid-19.

The Auckland high school has identified fewer than 50 close contacts of a student who is one of three new Covid-19 community cases.

On Sunday, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced a number of locations the three new cases – a father, mother and daughter – attended in Auckland.

The daughter, a student at Papatoetoe High School, was last at school on February 10. The school will be closed for two days as a precaution and work is underway to set up a testing facility there.

School principal Vaughan Couillault said all the student’s close school contacts had been identified and were being contacted.

"We can accurately identify the days when she was infectious and at school," he said.

Couillault said there were fewer than 50 close contacts and quite a large pool of casual contacts.

Due to the school environment, it enabled "rapid track and trace", the principal said.

"We've been subbed on in the team of five million, and it's our turn to do the hard yards," Couillault said.

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