2 December, 2021

Devonport Covid case at childcare centre

A Devonport childcare centre has had a child infectious with Covid-19 attend.

Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre, on the corner of Lake Rd and Owens Rd, sent a letter to parents on Monday confirming a child at the centre had tested positive for the virus. The child was infectious at the centre on 17 November and 22 November, the letter said.

“Your child has been identified as a close contact and needs to get tested immediately and self-isolate at home,” the message said.

It outlines the need to self-isolate for 10 days. Close contacts will need a negative test result eight days after their potential exposure, before they return to the centre. Unvaccinated family members must stay at home until the contact returns a negative day-five test.

The centre, which caters for children from three months of age until primary school, has been working with public health services and the Ministry of Education.

Children and staff are split into age group bubbles, and only those in the one hit with the positive test has to stay at home. Two other bubbles remain open.

Centre manager Amanda Pratt said it had complied with all requirements in managing the positive case including: a deep clean of the room affected, normal daily whole Centre cleaning, staff and families affected self isolating, and constant communication to all staff and parents.

“In response to notification of the positive Covid case in our centre, our centre families have been absolutely amazing in their understanding, following our instructions and emotional support of our staff and the family concerned,” Pratt said in a statement.

“Based on the guidance and instructions from the Ministry of Education and tracing requirements… our other two bubbles remain open with all remaining staff encouraged, suggested to get tested as well,” Pratt said.

She declined to answer questions such as the age or sex of the infected child, citing privacy concerns.

Devonport Methodist Childcare Centre celebrated 30 years earlier this year. It is licensed for 60 children a day and has 75 families on its roll, Pratt told the Flagstaff in August. It was full each day, except Fridays and had a waiting list, she said then.

Under Level 3 regulations it was operating with around the maximum allowed number in attendance of 30, an acting manager told the Flagstaff in October.

To a query at the same time about staff vaccination rates, she said the information could not be divulged but the centre would comply with government mandates. These require ECEs, like schools, to have all staff vaccinated by January 1, with first doses to be had by November 15.

• Meanwhile a patient with Covid-19 died in North Shore Hospital last weekend. Former Pukekohe newspaper editor Rex Warwood (80) was admitted to hospital on 25 November before dying on Saturday. Earlier this week, 93 covid patients were at North Island hospitals, with 17 of those in North Shore Hospital.