Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has added to the confusion over Victorian schools by taking to Twitter in a backflip to admit schools are safe to attend.
The clear advice of the Australian Government and Australia’s Chief Medical Officer is that children should attend school for Term 2. Despite this, a number of State schools turned students away following the Premier’s insistence that students should be schooled at home.
However, at a media conference yesterday morning, the Premier stated that schools were open.
Yesterday the Chief Health Officer sent a series of tweets warning parents against sending children to school, noting “having around a million children and their parents in closer contact with each other, teachers and support staff has the potential to increase cases of coronavirus”.
By last night the Chief Health Officer was forced to reassure parents that “Schools are not ‘dangerous places’ and parents should feel comfortable sending their kids to school…”.
The enormous confusion caused by these contradictory positions is creating worry for too many Victorian parents and students.
Working parents should not have to choose between keeping their job safe or their children safe.
It is time for clarity and certainty: Victorian state schools are safe. They are open. Parents who need to send their child to school can do so.
The mixed messages from the Premier and the Chief Health Officer are just making a bad situation much worse.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Education, Cindy McLeish:
“Parents are able to choose if school is the best place for their child to be. The Premier and the Chief Health Officer must not undermine this message.
“With the Victorian Government at odds with the Australian Government, and Victoria’s Chief Health Officer at odds with himself, is it any wonder parents are confused and worried for their children?
“This mixed messaging isn’t just confusing, it’s dangerous.”
