More purifiers headed to Victorian schools

The Victorian government is doubling the number of air purifiers in schools to keep students and staff in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay safe from COVID-19 as the winter months approach.

On Tuesday March 22, Minister for Education James Merlino announced an additional 60,000 air purifiers will be delivered to schools this week, which will see a purifier in every single classroom, instead of just in high-risk areas of schools.

Eligible kindergarten services will also be sharing $3.8 million in grants to support ventilation improvements.

Mr Merlino said this move will continue to support students who have returned to face-to-face learning.

“This is the largest investment in school ventilation in the nation – no other state is taking such strong steps to protect students, staff and school communities.”

Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt said: “Strong ventilation measures are crucial to keep our youngest learners – and the dedicated staff who care for them – safe, and we’re proud to be delivering more support for them to improve ventilation and keep our early learning services open.”