Porirua’s Whitby Collegiate will be closed until Monday out of precaution after eight staff were at Te Papa at the same time an Australian traveller who later tested positive for Covid-19 visited.
Te Papa.
Source: istock.com
In a statement on its website, the school said staff were at the museum preparing for the schools senior ball prior to 5.45pm on Saturday June 19.
The Ministry of Health website lists Te Papa as a location of interest between 3.05pm and 5.45pm on the Saturday. Anyone at the museum then is considered casual plus contacts of the Covid-19 case.
The ball was held after the time the Covid-19 case visited.
The schools chief executive Shelley Addison said it was a purely precautionary measure. It closed early at 2.15pm today.
She said staff would be tested tomorrow.
We have been advised by the Ministry of Education that the school is not required to close, however due to the reduced staffing numbers we believe it is appropriate to close the school until Monday morning when staff return following their negative Covid-19 result, Addison said.
We will continue to monitor the situation.