Covid-19 Omicron outbreak: 97 per cent of schools in Taranaki/ Manawatū-Whanganui have positive cases

A whopping 97 per cent of schools in the Taranaki and Manawatū-Whanganui region are dealing with active Covid-19 cases, and schools are feeling the strain.

With the elimination strategy abandoned and Omicron in the community, Covid-19 is spreading fast through schools and early learning education.

Palmerston North Girls High School principal Tracey Walker told the Herald it's a stressful time for both students and teachers.

"For two years the strategy was to eliminate and avoid at all costs and now we have to learn to live with it and eliminate risk as much as possible."

With other schools in the region also feeling the pinch, Walker is weekly communication with her fellow principals.

"We have weekly messaging, looking at how other schools are managing and whether we want to take up what they're doing and we're sharing good practice with each other."

Her school has 77 students who have either had, or currently have, Covid-19 and a further six teachers. At the moment, it's business as usual for the 1225 students – but Walker says that could change soon.

"We are now seriously looking at moving to phase 2 which is a hybrid model [of home and school learning] but that's a lot of work...it's quite busy and stressful for the teachers and the girls get stressed too because they worry if they get Covid-19 they miss the work."

She says the school works hard to remind students their health comes first.

"If they're not well, they're not well, and they shouldn't be doing the schoolwork. they need to rest, and there will be opportunities to do assessments later in the year when they're better."

New Zealand recorded 21,616 new Covid cases in the community on Tuesday and there is a record 960 patients in hospital battling the virus.

The Ministry of Health also recorded two new deaths.

Walker says it's an incredibly stressful time to do a student or teacher – but with the situation out of her hands, she's focused on helping her students.

"It is hard but it is what it is, and we have to do what we have to do. We can't change the pandemic we can't change mandates we can only change how we respond to it."