The ACT government has not ruled out blocking students who are close contacts from returning to the classroom once quarantine rules are changed next week, with a school policy still to be determined.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the Education Directorate was still working through what the changed rules would mean for schools, and there would be consistent policies in place for government-run schools.
"There are a range of issues and risks that need to be balanced here. And that is exactly what the Education Directorate is doing in their role, and they have a work health and safety, responsibility and a responsibility to their students," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
Ms Stephen-Smith said given the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community, students were already coming to school infectious with the coronavirus.
"I think this is again back to that risk management of if someone's had a negative rapid antigen test, do they pose any more significant risks than someone else in the community who isn't a known household contact?" she said.
From 11.59pm on Tuesday, April 26, close household contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the ACT will no longer have to quarantine for seven days if they comply with a series of conditions.
Close contacts must return negative rapid antigen tests before mixing in the community, work from home where it is possible to do so and only attend places of work or study where they agree with their employer it is safe to do so.
Ms Stephen-Smith said the decision of whether to allow a student who is a close contact back into the classroom was unlikely to be made by the student's teacher but would be in line with a school-wide policy.
She told ABC radio on Friday morning the Education Directorate needed to consult with unions and staff about the policy before it was announced.
The ACT branch president of the Australian Education Union, Angela Burroughs, said she expected there would be an announcement on the policy for schools on Tuesday, when students returned.
Ms Burrows said the union, which represents public school teachers, was working closely with the Education Directorate on the COVID safety measures that would be in place when school returns.
"Every single [COVID safety] measure that we have had in place, we're reviewing and adjusting and assessing in terms of the risks, and the changes to close contacts will be have has to be assessed in that context," Ms Burrows told ABC radio.
The close contact quarantine rule change, which was announced on Thursday afternoon, comes after Victoria and NSW announced a similar easing of quarantine restrictions, but committed to implementing the change sooner.
Ms Stephen-Smith defended the longer time it would take the ACT to make the change, saying health officials needed more time to work through the ramifications and they were not expected to work through the Anzac Day long weekend.
"If they came into effect at midnight on Monday, that would mean a whole bunch of people working through the public holiday on Monday to make this happen ... We're really trying as much as we can to give them a bit more normality in their work lives as well," she said.
