School sends students home after a third of staff catch COVID-19

Some students at a Sydney school have been told to return to learning from home again after a third of staff caught COVID-19, despite restrictions ending across the nation.

Only one student has so far tested positive, the Catholic Taranga School for Girls in Cherrybrook in the city's north said, according to a letter seen by 2GB Radio.

But with many cases among staff, children from years 7-11 have been sent home until the end of the week to "avoid risk of transmission."

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"Over the weekend one-third of our secondary staff have tested positive to COVID-19… placing pressure on teaching, supervision and operational needs at our school," the letter read.

"At this stage, there is only one confirmed case of COVID-19 amongst our secondary students."

The school said the move was "difficult but necessary,"

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9News has contacted Tangara School for comment.

Parents were told to monitor children for symptoms and use rapid tests, and confirm with PCR tests- which are still available but only at limited locations.

In January, ahead of students in NSW returning Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said schools would no longer close when there was a positive COVID-19 case in the community, and contact tracing would not be carried out.

However, Taranga is an independent school.

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Students were forced to learn from home for months due to lockdowns since the pandemic began in 2020.

Australia has removed all rules making isolation and reporting of COVID-19 cases mandatory.

However, officials have warned cases are on the up and people should get their third or fourth shots before Christmas.