Al-Taqwa College, Victoria coronavirus lockdown school, records 102 COVID cases – 7NEWS.com.au

The principal of an independent P-12 Islamic school in Melbournes west, which is at the centre of one of Victorias largest coronavirus clusters, has broken his silence.
Omar Hallak, principal at Al-Taqwa College in Truganina, has remained tight-lipped since the school reported its first case of COVID-19 on June 27, 11 days ago.
More details about Melbournes COVID-19 lockdown in the video above
As of Wednesday, the total number of cases linked to the school cluster had risen to 102.
Victorias Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton confirmed the entire school was in lockdown, as health authorities were treating 2,300 staff and students as close contacts.
Hallak said the school regrets that staff and students had tested positive for the virus, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Chevron Right Icon
We know this news will add to anxiety in the community.
All staff and students have been asked to get tested and have been placed in quarantine while DHHS continues their tracing and the College undergoes a deep clean, he said.
Hallak said the school had been working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services to support their efforts to trace the origin of the virus and to trace all the contacts of the affected people.
We know this news will add to anxiety in the community, he said.
We pray that our state overcomes this pandemic and we wish every affected person a speedy recovery.
Hallak said the school had done its utmost best to prevent an outbreak.
But he said unfortunately it was out of our hands as it is with quite a few other schools around Victoria, around the nation and around the world, which is quite saddening.
On Tuesday, Sutton said that while the state had seen cases of COVID-19 in schools, Al-Taqwa College was a different example.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne. Credit: JAMES ROSS/AAPIMAGE
There seems to have been transmission in the school that was quite substantial, Sutton told reporters.
If youre moving around in a setting where you are in close contact with lots of other people, they will become infected and you can get that explosive increase.
Hallak said prior to news of the first infection, every precaution had been taken to protect staff and students.
We have been vigilant since the outbreak of COVID19 and put in place safety measures to keep all staff, students and the wider community safe, he said.
He said temperature checks had been conducted on a daily basis, hand santisier was readily available, and anyone in the school community with even the mildest of symptoms was sent home.
Staff were directed to abide by the guidelines of the Premier and the Chief Health Minister at all times, he said.
Hallak also said the school had taken additional measures including spending over $100,000 on additional cleaning and hygiene measures, involving an organisation approved by DHHS.

Click here to view the original article.