Australia: Melbourne schools to reopen amid COVID-19 lockdown, threatening teacher, student safety
In a reckless move that needlessly threatens the safety of teachers, school workers and students, the Victorian state Labor government announced Wednesday that Melbourne high schools will reopen for Year 11 and 12 students from next week.
This follows a week-long closure of most schools that was imposed as part of an initially planned seven-day lockdown triggered by community transmission of the dangerous COVID-19 Kappa variant. Today authorities reported they had detected the even more contagious Delta variant. The lockdown has been extended for another seven days, but with a series of relaxed restrictions, including the reopening of schools for senior students in Melbourne and the resumption of all schools face-to-face teaching in regional Victoria.