Basic hygiene will be a compulsory subject in southern schools as the academic year begins — primary, intermediate and secondary teachers are on alert for any potential signs of coronavirus. "Schools will be getting in supplies of hand sanitiser, and there will be an increased focus on advising students about cough and sneeze safety and hand hygiene,’’ Otago Girls’ High School principal Linda Miller said. Around 650 international pupils will attend local secondary schools this year. Some groups from China were still to arrive in Otago, and Dunedin Secondary Schools Partnership chairman, Kaikorai Valley college principal Rick Geerlofs, said those pupils could cancel their trips if the health situation worsened in China. The Education Act allows principals of state schools to exclude pupils if they believe they may have a communicable disease.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 28, 2020 15:22 UTC