Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: 'Anxiety, fear and doubt' - Schools face surge in Covid-19 cases

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho principal Tim Tukupua said the school was managing through the uncertainty as best it could. Photo / Bevan Conley

More than half of schools and kura in Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatū are managing Covid-19 cases as the Ministry of Education counts more than 5000 new cases in just two days across the country.

Of 176 schools in Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatu, 54 per cent (95 schools) have had confirmed cases in the past 10 days. Another 42 early learning places in those regions are also managing cases.

Nationwide, the number of cases notified by schools and early learning on Wednesday and Thursday alone jumped by more than 5000. Nearly 4500 were students and there were 700 new cases among teachers and support staff. Schools and early learning places flagged up 17,456 cases in the past 10 days. The Ministry said 88 per cent of schools in Auckland are dealing with the virus.

In Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatū, more than 70 early learning services, primary, intermediate and secondary schools reported new cases on Wednesday and Thursday.

These came from 31 primary, five intermediate and 13 secondary schools and 23 early learning services. Of these 159 new cases, 123 were students and 36 were teachers and support staff.

In Whanganui, the primary-level Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi was dealing with its first confirmed case among students on Friday.

Principal Betty-Joe Wiari said the immediate priority was to ensure parents and the school community were well informed and provided with the information they needed.

In the Whanganui suburb of Castlecliff, the Year 1-15 Māori medium school Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tūpoho said there were possible cases among students who were isolating at home, but no confirmed cases. Three staff had tested positive and one other person connected with the kura kaupapa may also have the virus. They were all at home isolating.

Principal Tim Tukupua said the school was managing through the uncertainty as best it could.

"We have asked all our staff over the past two days to get tested. We have enough capacity at the moment to manage what we've got to deal with. It will come down to what the parents do. It's up to parents to ensure that their child is protected in some way from this virus.

"The message we're signaling to whānau is if you have any symptoms go and get tested. If they start to keep children at home, that's their choice. If children stay at home, we will shift into online learning.

"We're navigating this as best as we can, from the board to our babies and our Te Kōwhai Reo (kohanga reo) - which management have said is closing until we have a better picture as to how Covid-19 has impacted on our staff, children and whānau."

Tukupua said kura kaupapa board and staff were focusing on lowering levels of stress and anxiety in the community.

"There's a whole lot of anxiety, fear, doubt. We're going to have to ride this wave until that dissipates.

"Once we're on the other side, we'll be able to reflect, and we'll have learned some things as a result. This is going to be a normal way of operating going forward – the sooner we accept that, the better.

"All we can ask is for everybody to take responsibility in their own space, and try not to let stress levels, anxiety, fear and doubt take hold."

• Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air