Weekly news at a glance

(Worldwide) COVID-safe election

Portuguese election organisers were taking extra safety precautions on Saturday after the government decided to allow voters who are infected with the coronavirus to leave isolation and cast ballots in person along with everyone else.

With around a tenth of Portugal’s 10 million-strong population thought to be isolating due to Covid-19, the government decided last week to lift restrictions for Sunday’s vote. In a press conference on Saturday, the electoral commission said: “All conditions have been met for the vote to take place in absolute safety.”

(Worldwide) Schools in England reinstate mask wearing rules

Schools that ended the requirement for pupils to wear face coverings this month, in line with government guidance, are reinstating it again because of surges in Covid cases.

The government rescinded the requirement for masks in secondary school classrooms in England on 20 January and since 27 January they have no longer been compulsory in communal indoor spaces either. But a number of schools that complied with the change in the rules are having to reintroduce them a week later because of outbreaks in infections.

In some areas, including Enfield in north London, Calderdale in West Yorkshire, and Hertfordshire, public health teams are now recommending that masks be temporarily reinstated in schools where there are significant outbreaks.

(Worldwide) Spotify to direct listeners to correct Covid information

Spotify is adding a message that will direct listeners to correct Covid-19 information as controversy over misinformation shared on Joe Rogan’s podcast continues to grow, with the streamer losing billions in market value and more musicians withdrawing their music.

On Sunday, the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek, released an official statement setting out the streaming platform’s plan to tackle misinformation. New content advisories will direct listeners of any podcast that discusses coronavirus to a dedicated website that “provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources”.

(AUS) Teachers given deadline to get booster 

Victorian school staff have been given a deadline to receive their booster shot to avoid having their employment impacted. Teachers who have not yet had a third COVID-19 vaccination must do so by March 15 or face being shut out of their workplace and eventually having their employment terminated.

The Education Department set the hard deadline of mid-March, as hundreds of inactive or retired educators prepare to return to work to help avert a potential teacher shortage should COVID case numbers again rise. Health experts are expecting a spike in cases as schools return for the start of Term one.

(AUS) Fully vaccinated to mean 3 doses in just weeks

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he expects the definition of fully vaccinated to change to three doses of a COVID vaccine within a few weeks. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Mr Andrews said that he believes federal health agencies will change the definition of being fully vaccinated across Australia sometime in the next week. 

He has therefore urged Victorians to receive their booster dose before the cooler weather season, with that protection to be ‘critically important’ for the rest of the year. A member from the World Health Organisation advisory group has also stated that having the requirement of three doses for full Covid vaccination sends a clear message that it is essential, rather than simply a matter of choice and personal responsibility.

(AUS) Schools live with COVID-19

Victorian schools are implementing measures to reopen and ‘live with COVID’, as schools return this Monday. Schools will receive 6-million Rapid Antigen Tests to be used during the first four weeks of term. 

HEPA air filtration machines will improve ventilation in all government and low-fee non-government schools.

All staff are required to have three COVID-19 vaccine doses unless a medical exemption applies. Vaccination is now available for students aged five to 11, with state-run vaccination hubs and primary school pop-up clinics offering walk in vaccination. Parents should receive boosters, vaccinate their children, follow the COVID-19 school rules and not send children to school with symptoms, however mild.