Potts Point school closed for COVID-19 cleaning
Image: Elite Catholic girls school St Vincent's college has closed for COVID-19 cleaning. Photo: wikimedia
By ALLISON HORE
St Vincent’s college in Potts Point closed for cleaning on Friday after a student tested positive for COVID-19.
The elite Catholic school received confirmation of the positive test just before 9:30pm on Thursday night and announced that the school would be closed to allow for contact tracing and to begin a thorough cleaning.
“From the outset of the pandemic, the College has taken every precaution in line with Government policy to minimize risk,” the school said in a media statement.
“This is now however the circumstance we are dealing with and we are well prepared to implement our contingency plans.”
St Vincent’s parents are yet to be informed when the school will reopen.
Potts Point has been identified by NSW Health as an area of concern for the spread of coronavirus, with two restaurant related clusters at the center of it. So far there have been 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases linked to the Thai Rock Restaurant in Potts Point and 28 connected to the Apollo Restaurant.
NSW Health is asking anyone who lives in or has visited the Potts Point area in the past two weeks to get tested if they have even mild COVID-19 symptoms such as a runny nose or scratchy throat.
Meanwhile, another Catholic school in Sydney’s north-west has been cleared of COVID-19 breaches after a police investigation into reports that social distancing was not being enforced assemblies and extracurricular activities were going ahead as usual. The school, Tangara School for Girls, has been linked to 21 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
In a statement on their website, the Tangara school disputed the “misinformation” they said was being spread on social media, and said the school had “ always followed the advice of NSW Health around COVID-19 and will continue to do so.” The school will remain closed until August 24.
Contact tracing in the CBD has identified more venues linked with COVID-19 cases.
People who visited Jambo Jambo African Restaurant in Glebe between 7pm and 10.30pm on Friday 31 July and patrons of Burrow Bar in Sydney between 9.45pm and midnight on Saturday August 1 are being asked to get tested and to self isolate for 14 days even if the test comes back negative.
People who visited the following venues are being asked to monitor themselves for symptoms and to self-isolate and get tested if symptoms occur
- The Eveleigh Hotel, Redfern (Friday, July 31, 8.30pm to 10pm)
- Warren View Hotel, Enmore (Saturday, 1 August, 4pm to 4.20pm)
- Cubby’s Kitchen, Sydney (Saturday, August 1, 7.35pm to 9.30pm)
- Mary’s Macquarie Place, Sydney (Saturday, August 1, 6.45pm to 7.15pm)
