All Fleurieu school staff and volunteers will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to be able to continue to work on school sites after 10 December. The only exceptions will be for those with a medical exemption.

The ban would include parents who volunteer for activities such as reading in classrooms or helping in canteens. It would not include parents and carers dropping children to school.

The state government made the announcement this week, ahead of the opening of the state’s borders next Tuesday 23 November.

All staff will need to show that they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination by 10 December and proof that they have scheduled or received the second dose. Those who are unvaccinated would have to take personal leave from that date.

All will need to be double vaccinated to be able to return to work at the start of Term 1 next year.

The policy applies to all public and private schools, preschools and early childhood facilities.

State Education Minister John Gardner says schools with a confirmed COVID-19 case would either be cleaned over night or could possibly be closed for one day while the parts of the school visited by the case were cleaned.

The Education Department will set up its own specialised contact tracing team.

Wearing masks was made compulsory in secondary schools earlier during term three until the mandate was lifted early in term four. Minister Gardener says masks would remain optional in these schools unless recommended by SA Health.

The vaccine mandate does not apply to universities and TAFE colleges.