Catherine McAuley College confirms 'student and families' tested positive to COVID-19

Principal Brian Turner has told parents that students should stay at home while contact tracing takes place.

"Contact tracing in schools can take a couple of days and we will give an update when it has been completed through next week," he wrote in a letter to the school community.

"I understand this news will be concerning for many of you.

"I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to contain and slow the spread of the virus and ensure the health and safety of our whole school community."

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Both the school's campuses will stay closed for the rest of the week and remote learning will be brought back for most of the next.

Mr Turner said the closure would allow the school to deep clean and for the Department of Health and Human Services to roll out its coronavirus containment strategy.

The school teaches about 1600 students and employs more than 230 staff members, according to its website.

Parent-teacher interviews that had been slated for Thursday and Friday will still go ahead.

Mr Turner said the school had already planned to have parents and teachers meet remotely, before the positive coronavirus cases emerged.

"The school will update all families once the contact tracing has been completed and a decision about reopening the school facilities for students is made," he said.

Catherine McAuley is one of three Catholic schools in Bendigo and Heathcote that have closed after positive COVID-19 diagnoses.

More on this story: Three schools to close after positive COVID-19 tests

The Catholic Education Office Sandhurst yesterday revealed a student had tested positive at Catherine McAuley, while a staff member had tested positive at St Joseph's Primary School.

Holy Rosary Primary School Heathcote is also closed as a precautionary measure because of a connection with one of the positive cases.

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