As the threat of coronavirus continues to weigh on the minds and attitudes of people the NSW Department of Education has issued a caution warning to school planning overseas trips in 2020.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On March 3 a NSW Health spokesperson said there were 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NSW, none in regional areas, including Port Macquarie.
A spokesperson from Camden Haven High School said they had planned a trip to Indonesia as part of a collaboration with a sister school, which has now been delayed.
"We had an Indonesia visit planned for later this year and while this had received conditional approval to go ahead last week, this is no longer the case," a spokesperson said.
The school recently hosted a delegation from Indonesia as part of an ongoing partnership which started in 2015.
The school said they received advice from the deputy secretary Murat Dizdar, yesterday, March 1, 2020 which stated that overseas excursions had been placed on hold.
"Many of our schools have planned overseas travel or excursions to occur during the year. However with the current COVID-19 situation, the safety of our students and staff is paramount and it is for this reason that all overseas excursions are required to be now placed on hold until further notice."
The spokesperson said fundraising will continue in the hope that the situation will improve and the planned trip is able to proceed later this year or early in 2021.
Hastings Secondary College were expected to send students on two separate trips to the United States to compete in robotics in April, however that's now under review.
"The health and wellbeing of students and staff are always the department's highest priorities," Hastings Network director of educational leadership Andrew Kuchling said.
"Therefore, in the current COVID-19 environment, all overseas excursions in Term 1 are on hold until further notice.
"Schools have been asked, if possible, to reschedule planned overseas travel until later in the year.
"If a school believes it has exceptional circumstances to proceed with an overseas excursion, the department will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis."
Hastings Secondary College has since cancelled students attending an aquanauts competition but has put in special consideration to attend the First Robotics Competition in Texas in April, if Hastings Heroes Team 6508 are successful in gaining entry.
