The Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases Group (ANZPID) supports efforts to prioritise access to education for children and young people.

This important but challenging priority will need effective leadership and child-focussed decision making at all levels of government. Children, families and teachers need clear and equitable guidelines for maintaining safe face-to-face education during COVID as well as access to rapid testing and online educational options where necessary.

As paediatricians who care for children in the hospitals of Australia and New Zealand, we understand the health harms of COVID. While COVID infection in children is generally mild or asymptomatic, some children will develop severe disease, and children live within a wider society, where we need to protect those most vulnerable. ANZPID supports vaccination of school aged children to protect individuals and the community from COVID and to minimise transmission.

We acknowledge that for most states and territories who are experiencing a large Omicron wave, there will be difficult decisions ahead as schools are scheduled to resume. For those who have been through multiple lockdowns and periods of isolation, the harms of missed education cannot be ignored. Equally, we recognise the concerns of teachers and parents at this difficult time. Decision-makers at all levels of government must prioritise access to education for the benefit of our children and young people.