Covid-19 has surfaced in a second primary school in the South.
The schools are among more than 160 schools, kura, and early childhood centres across the country that are managing identified Covid-19 cases in students or staff, RNZ reports.
The first school in the South to be hit by a positive Covid case among its pupils was Musselburgh School in Dunedin.
Principal Rob Taylor said 56 pupils from years 5 and 6 at the school were isolating at home yesterday after a pupil tested positive at the weekend.
There were three bubbles of pupils at the school and the years 1 and 2 bubble and the years 3 and 4 bubble continued to attend school as normal yesterday.
Citing Ministry of Education information, RNZ reports that there are now two primary schools in the Otago/Southland area managing Covid cases. The second school in the South is Gore Main School.
Of the 164 schools and ECEs nationwide with cases, 76 are primary schools.
More than half the educational institutions affected are in Auckland, with 93, followed by the Waikato region with 30 schools and ECEs managing coronavirus cases.
Taranaki, Whanganui and Manawatū are the only regions where none have cases, figures from the Ministry of Education show.
Schools remain open under the Omicron strategy and a mandate requires children in Year 4 and above to wear face masks while indoors to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
For children Year 3 and under, the Ministry of Health said mask wearing was encouraged, but not required.
In Auckland, 21 early learning services, 44 primary schools, 6 intermediate schools and 22 secondary schools have identified cases.
South Auckland primary schools have been considering whether to host vaccine clinics to help vaccinate the region's 5 to 11-year-olds. Principals in the area say Counties Manukau DHB has asked them to allow vaccinations on their sites.
As of Monday, 45 percent of eligible 5 to 11-year-olds have had their first Covid-19 vaccine.
