The number of Covid-19 cases is on the increase and has had an impact on pupils and staff absenteeism.
Invercargill’s Aurora College principal Craig Taylor said the virus had hit both staff and pupils.
"Covid sickness has been on the rise since the start of the year," he said.
"This has resulted in a large number of pupils being away and there have also been a few staff members who have been hit with it."
Almost all Covid-19 cases in New Zealand are now caused by the latest variant JN.1 and immunity experts say it has became the dominant strain very rapidly.
Verdon College said Covid-19 had not disappeared from the population and cases had popped up in their local area and in their school communities.
Principal Jarlath Kelly said cold, flu and gastro bugs were going around his school so not all absences were due to Covid-19-related illnesses.
The sickness going around had not impacted staffing levels at the school, Mr Kelly said.
Verdon College would put measures in place to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and other illnesses, such as online classroom resources and learning activities to support any of their affected students, he said.
St Patrick’s School in Invercargill had minimal impact from Covid-19 but parents were proactive in telling the school whether they were keeping their children from attending schooldue to Covid-19 or other illnesses.
Local businesses and workplaces have also seen an increase in staff off work due to a resurgence of the virus in the community.
Southland Business Chamber chief executive Sheree Carey said staff sickness through Covid-19 was just another challenge for businesses.
"The recent surge in Covid-19 has intensified challenges for businesses already grappling with staffing shortages, leading to a noticeable effect on short-term absenteeism rates among employees," she said.
"In environments where teams are small, the requirement for even two or three individuals to isolate can significantly disrupt operations, posing considerable challenges for these workplaces.”
She said with changes in Covid-19 rules no longer requiring household contacts to also self- isolate, workplaces also did not lose staff.
Rules around Covid-19 meant staff returning to work came down to how they felt, regardless if they still tested positive.
- By Nina Tapu
