Coronavirus Global situation
Aussie schools expect staff shortage as students return after break
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SYDNEY • The authorities in Australia are bracing themselves for staff shortages in schools due to likely Covid-19 outbreaks as thousands of students return after their summer break.
Most states will have a staggered school reopening this week as Australia battles the worst outbreak of the pandemic, with the fast-moving Omicron variant causing cases to spiral to record levels.
"There will be challenges and there will be bumps over these first few weeks," Mr James Merlino, deputy premier of Victoria state, told a media briefing yesterday.
Mr Merlino said about 350 retired teachers have been mobilised to support schools when they have to furlough staff.
Masks are mandatory indoors for older children and millions of at-home antigen tests, still not readily available in many stores, are being rolled out to families for free, with children asked to undergo Covid-19 tests twice a week.
About 40 per cent of children aged five to 11 have been given their first vaccine dose, while around two-thirds of eligible Australians have had their boosters.
Though Omicron appears to be less virulent than earlier variants, the sheer number of cases has overwhelmed hospitals and testing facilities in the country.
Supply chains have also been disrupted, resulting in bare supermarket shelves. This has angered Australians and dented Prime Minister Scott Morrison's approval rating just months before a federal election is due.
Nearly 34,000 new infections were reported yesterday, the lowest tally in a month, while 44 deaths were registered, the lowest in two weeks.
Hospitalisations have remained steady at around 5,000 for the past few days, peaking at just under 5,400 last Tuesday. The number was at 4,869 yesterday, after falling over the past five days.
Of the 2.5 million infections detected since the pandemic began, some 2.3 million were reported following the discovery of the first Omicron case in the country in late November. The total number of deaths is 3,754.
REUTERS
