Coronavirus (COVID-19) advice

To increase physical distancing across the population and slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), children in Victorian government schools will move to remote and flexible learning and care at the commencement of Term 2.

This means that from the start of Term 2 all students who can learn from home must learn at home. School staff return on Tuesday 14 April. This will be a pupil free day.

Students resume classes on Wednesday 15 April.

For more information about learning from home, see:

• Information for parents and guardians
• Information for schools, teachers and principals
  

On 16 March, a State of Emergency was declared in Victoria to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Under a State of Emergency, Authorised Officers, at the direction of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, can act to eliminate or reduce a serious risk to public health by detaining people, restricting movement, preventing entry to premises, or providing any other direction an Authorised Officer considers reasonable to protect public health.

From 9pm AEDT 20 March 2020, only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members can travel to Australia.

From 11.59pm AEDT 28 March 2020, all travellers arriving in Australia will be required to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated facilities (for example, a hotel), in their port of arrival.

This includes students, children and staff who may be returning from overseas excursions or other travel. Any person who is self-isolating must not visit a school, TAFE or training provider, or early childhood service to pick up children or for any other reason.

The Department of Home Affairs provides information on the latest travel restrictions.

For actions that Victorians and employers and organisations can take to help reduce the risk of infection and slow the spread of coronavirus in the Victorian community, read: Physical distancing and other transmission reduction measures - coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Commonwealth Government has announced that non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people is no longer permitted. Non-essential outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people is also prohibited.

This explicitly does not include schools running normal teaching and learning programs.

Outdoor gatherings

The ban on non-essential outdoor gatherings applies to any school event that involves attendance by community members who are not students or staff (where staff includes support staff) and where total attendance will exceed 500. This includes school assemblies and sporting events.

It does not include parent-teacher events unless you expect there to be more than 500 people including community members to be present at any one time.

In schools with more than 500 students, review internal school gatherings and change arrangements for full school assemblies.

Staggered lunch breaks should be introduced where these don’t currently occur. Other large in-school student gatherings and events should be postponed or re-arranged, so multiple smaller events are held.