Face masks, RAT kits and air purifiers top the back-to-school list.

 

State governments around Australia have placed orders for tens of thousands of air purifiers as part of a back-to-school COVID safety plan.

 

The Victorian government is close to finishing the roll-out of more than 50,000 air purifiers to schools as the federal government prepares to copy the state’s policy across the country to minimise the spread of COVID-19 among students.

 

Ten thousand purifiers still need to be provided before students return to their classrooms to meet the government commitment, which was made before the start of term 4 last year, with 41,000 of them already delivered.

 

Alison McMillan, the Australia’s chief nursing and midwifery officer and co-chair of the national infection control expert group, said on Saturday that the use of the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters was “still in its early development” and the group was closely monitoring Victoria’s roll-out.

 

“We may see the introduction of mobile filters and monitors in the coming months, but at the moment we are monitoring what we are seeing and working very closely with Victoria who are leading the work in schools on the use of filter systems,” Professor McMillan told the ABC.

 

A Victorian government spokesperson said improving ventilation with the $190 million package was an effective way to keep schools safe.

 

“We are on track to have 51,000 air purifiers to schools for day one of term one with about 2000 being delivered each day,” he said.

 

An extensive 24-hour delivery operation over the past week has seen trucks laden with air purifiers, face masks and RAT kits travel to schools across NSW.

 

The NSW government has sourced thousands of air purifiers to assist with ventilation in schools but these will only be used when airflow is not sufficient, or in the event of bushfire smoke or poor air quality.

 

The federal Greens are pushing for air filtration systems and carbon dioxide monitors to be installed in every school classroom in the country, with independent costings showing it could be done for $224 million.

 

Costing prepared by the Parliamentary Budget Office, commissioned by the Greens, are based on the assumption that HEPA filters could be purchased and installed for $900 each and CO2 monitors for $130 each.