Dear early childhood education and care services


This email includes information on:

  • testing for non-household education contacts (people who don’t live in the same household as a COVID-19 positive person)
  • managing a COVID-19 positive person
  • contact management
  • COVIDSafe settings for your service, including vaccinations


Testing for non-household education contacts

Effective from 11.59pm on Thursday 30 December, revised testing requirements will come into effect for non-household education facility contacts including early childhood education and care (ECEC) sites. 

 

From Friday 31 December, education contacts who:

  • Do not have any symptoms are able to attend their ECEC site. It is strongly encouraged that a rapid antigen (RA) test is taken each day for 5 days following notification of a COVID-19 exposure in an educational setting.
  • Have symptoms or return a positive RA test are required to undertake a PCR test and quarantine until they receive a negative result. The education contact will need to provide the negative PCR result to return to the service.

A non-household education contact is someone who has had 15 minutes of face-to-face contact with, or spent 2 hours in the same indoor space with someone who is infectious with COVID-19.


Rapid antigen testing detail

All education contacts can now return to ECEC after contact notification if either:

  • they are asymptomatic or
  • they are symptomatic and have provided evidence of a negative standard PCR test to their ECEC service.

It is the responsibility of the ECEC service to collect, record and store the PCR result information. It is recommended that a service uses the contact spreadsheet for record management purposes.

 

Children and staff identified as an education contact can obtain a free package of 5 rapid antigen tests at PCR testing sites after being notified by the ECEC service. Rapid antigen tests available at retail outlets can also be purchased and used.


If the education contact cannot access rapid antigen tests, they should monitor for symptoms and seek a PCR test if symptoms emerge. More information will be provided by the Victorian Government on access to rapid antigen tests in coming days.


The at-home rapid antigen testing option is strongly encouraged for asymptomatic education contacts.

 

Education contacts with symptoms should get a PCR test straight away and quarantine until they receive their result.

 

Any child or staff who return a positive rapid antigen test result should immediately get a PCR test and quarantine until the result.

 

Household contacts (people who live in the same household as a person with COVID-19) are still required to quarantine for 7 days. They cannot use rapid antigen tests to attend an ECEC service, even if they are asymptomatic.


Managing a COVID-19 positive person

An employee and parent/carer of a child must advise the ECEC service if they have attended the service while infectious.

 

The positive person will be required to isolate at home for 7 days from the day of their PCR test.

 

Positive cases will be contacted by the Department of Health to confirm their clearance date so that they have a text message of when they are able to leave isolation.

 

Individuals can return to their normal activities from the clearance date the Department of Health provides, including attending an ECEC. A negative test result is not required to be able to leave isolation on the clearance date.

 

COVID-19 Contact Management in ECEC Services (including Vacation Care)

ECEC services will continue the process for identifying contacts at a service.


1. Confirmed COVID-19 cases will be required to notify their ECEC service that they are a positive case.

2. ECEC provider or nominated supervisor must submit a notification through National Quality Agenda IT System (NQAITS) as soon as they become aware that a child, parent, contractor, or worker has been onsite but only in the 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or receipt of positive test if asymptomatic (no symptoms).

3. A Department staff member will contact the service to discuss the notification.

4. Services will be given information to support them to inform staff and parents / carers swiftly when a positive COVID-19 case has been identified.

5. The service will be required to notify individuals that they are a contact of a positive case and advise them that there are two options:
a. If symptomatic, they are required to obtain a PCR test and quarantine until they receive a negative result,
b. If non-symptomatic, they may return onsite to ECEC. Rapid antigen tests daily for 5 days following notification of an exposure is strongly encouraged.

6. There is no requirement for the service to close but it may choose to do so to enable identification of individuals, initial testing of staff or for operational reasons (eg. unable to meet regulatory obligations under the National Law).

7. The service will be required to maintain a system to enable them to notify contacts and collect, record and store results or reasonable evidence of test results from an individual prior to their return to the service.


COVIDSafe strategies and vaccinations

ECEC services are reminded that existing COVIDSafe strategies should continue to be used, including:

  • Good hygiene
  • Surfaces are kept clean, and in the event of a COVID case on site, there is cleaning and disinfection
  • Services will maintain physical distancing (1.5m) when practical to do so
  • Services will use external drop off and pick up and contactless check-in where practical to do so
  • Increased ventilation and outdoor programming
  • Services keep records to enable them to notify any contacts such as visitor sign-in procedures, children's attendance records and staffing rosters to record this information.

All persons working (including volunteers and contractors) on site are required to be fully vaccinated (unless they have a medical exemption). There are no ‘exceptional circumstances’ provisions which enable ECEC services to engage non-vaccinated staff.


Find out more

These emails and COVID-19 early childhood education and care remain your best source of early childhood specific information for:

Health advice for early childhood education and care services