Dunstan High School is experiencing an increase in the number of staff unable teach due to Covid-19. 

On Monday morning Dunstan High School principal Reece Goldmsith notified the school community via a Facebook post that the school would be rostering students home this week. 

Dunstan High School principal Reece Goldsmith. PHOTO: Dunstan High School

Reece said although the number of student cases was dwindling rostering would begin on Tuesday March 29 and continue until the end of the week.

On each day a different year group would be rostered home. 

“We’ve got half a dozen teachers sick or isolating at home. We’ve been really lucky up until now. 

“Hopefully next week we will be back to normal.

"We will keep everyone updated.”

Reece said of the 70 people on staff, reaction to the Covid-19 situation was understandably mixed with some people remaining really positive and a few feeling anxious. 

The rostered day at home was being used by pupils to catch up on work that has not been completed yet. 

On Friday, Cromwell College’s case update on Facebook was that they had 21 pupils and two staff as active positive cases. 

Cromwell College principal Mason Stretch said students were also still being rostered home as Covid-19 was impacting the school community.

"We're now seeing Covid-19 going through different cohort groups.

"It will be disruptive from a staff perspective for some while yet.

"We're so grateful for all the support and to be able to keep school open."

Mason said it was good to see the numbers of students off school with Covid or due to being household contacts was declining over the past couple of weeks, but now it was the turn of support staff and teachers.

Southern District Health Board (SDHB) said in a Monday afternoon statement that Central Otago had 440 active cases of Covid-19 and 55 new positive cases.

Dunedin had 16 people in hospital, Southland had eight, and in Dunedin one of the sixteen was also in ICU. 

For the Southern region there were 968 new positive cases for the previous 24 hours and a total of 8622 cases (not recovered from the last seven days).

SDHB senior communications advisor Catherine Mackmurdie said there were vulnerable people in the community at risk from Covid-19 infection. 

“When you are out and about in our beautiful district please think of these people and wear a mask and stay home if you have symptoms, have tested positive for Covid-19 or are a household contact of a positive case.

"By continuing to work together we can all continue to protect our most vulnerable,” she said.

Read advice on how to self isolate here. Check what the symptoms of covid-19 are here.