The New South Wales government has just announced its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children under 10 years of age. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant made the announcement during a morning press conference along Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
“We’re reporting our first cases of children under 10 today… confirmed on the 24th of March,” Chants said.
“A two-month-old boy who was tested following close contact with a confirmed adult case. In a separate, unrelated case, we have a seven-year-old girl who was tested following close contact with a confirmed adult case.”
Both children have minimal symptoms and are in isolation at home. The youngest confirmed case prior to this in New South Wales was a 12-year-old child. These new cases are part of the 212 new coronavirus cases confirmed in NSW overnight, which take the total in the state to 1,029, according to ABC News.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been pushing for schools to remain open and continues to do so this week. While parents are permitted to keep their children at home, Morrison is insisting that schools stay open until the end of term. He has also stated that schools will go back for term two, pending medical advice at the time.
“The medical expert advice on schools had not changed,” said Morrison during a press conference on Tuesday night.
“It is safe to send your children to school.”
The prime minister said he will be meeting with the Teachers Unions and Education Minister Dan Tehan to discuss,”a set of arrangements we’d like to proceed with that, importantly, keeps schools open and that will also protect those teachers and other staff who are working in schools … to ensure that children get taught.”
[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/03/australia-coronavirus-texts/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/coronavirus-text-message-australia-410×231.jpg” title=”Australia To Send Coronavirus Hygiene Texts, Finally” excerpt=”The Federal Government will begin texting Australians, with Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt confirming on Tuesday that the government will directly message Australians to encourage stronger social distancing.”]