Green MP Teanau Tuiono: New Zealand needs an expert-informed Covid-19 action plan for schools

Palmerston North-based Green list MP Teanau Tuiono says we should not forget more than 1100 families have lost loved ones to Covid-19. Photo / Supplied

OPINION:

Our tamariki are growing and learning alongside severe threats to their wellbeing and that of their families.

Covid-19 may have disappeared from the news headlines, but it's still here, people are still going to hospital and still dying as we face a second wave of the virus.

I recently heard from an intermediate school teacher in Auckland who, like many teachers in the same position, is frustrated the Government removed masking rules for schools.

"We've been battling a second wave for about four weeks, so many kids and staff are out sick or isolating to the point of almost closure," the teacher told me.

"Our principal brought back masks for the past two weeks when cases were really bad, which was great, but has since said from this week that it's optional again."

I don't blame teachers for feeling angry because everyone should feel safe when they come to work. Putting public health decisions into the already heavy workload of being an educator in the middle of a pandemic is just unfair.

University of Otago epidemiologist Amanda Kvalsvig says the potentially higher rate of infection for teachers begs the question - what happens to the education system if teachers leave in droves because they don't feel safe any more, or long Covid prevents them from teaching altogether?

That is why the Government needs to show leadership here, and not leave it to schools to muddle through the winter. We need a Covid-19 action plan for schools, informed by experts.

We face a possible second Covid-19 peak over winter, at the same time as open borders bring new bugs into our communities. Communities need an expert-led plan to support children's access to education and protect children, school staff, and their families from Covid-19 and other winter respiratory infections.

This generation is at risk of long-term harm to their health and wellbeing - we need a better approach as the pandemic continues. Now more than ever, with the risk of long Covid, we need to make sure support is equitable.

That plan should have a stronger focus on indoor air quality - including ventilation, monitoring, and filtration. Relying on open windows is a stopgap measure and is insufficient for colder areas in winter.

We need to reinstate indoor mask requirements in schools now, and supply free N95 masks to teachers, school staff and students.

We need urgent steps to improve vaccine uptake for our tamariki for Covid-19 and the flu, and to make sure kids are up to date with routine childhood vaccination - including catch-up clinics in schools. Only 25 per cent of 5 to 11-year-olds have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

We need better planning to reduce transmission in schools while keeping them open as much as possible. We could be supporting large schools with timetabling changes that limit the risk of superspreading.

We need clear and effective communication to parents - particularly on masks and vaccination.

We need ongoing reviews of the approach, so schools can learn from what's going well and refine their plans if needed.

Let's not forget more than 1100 families have lost loved ones. This pandemic is not over.

• Teanau Tuiono is a Green list MP based in Palmerston North.