Hobart single mother of three Mel Jewell is worried about having her children returning to the classroom as Term 3 gets underway in Tasmania.
Two are still recovering from the flu and will not be returning until later this week.
The family all had COVID earlier this year and Ms Jewell said one of her daughters had become quite anxious about catching it again.
"I'm very nervous about it … it's frightening," she said.
As Tasmania's school students head back to the classroom for Term 3, there are growing concerns from parents and teachers about how to keep children safe from COVID-19, and if enough has been done to prepare.
The state is bracing for a predicted peak of coronavirus infections this month, with Tasmania consistently recording more than 1,000 new cases a day in recent weeks.
"It's really hard, I just think bringing the mask mandate back in would help, for drop off and pick up especially, but in saying that even when there was a mandate, some parents didn't wear them, so it's hard when not everyone follows the rules," Ms Jewell said.
"It's very hard, [my kids] are not old enough to really understand the risk or understand why they should be wearing one.
Another parent, Kylie Bloom, said she felt "at ease" about her children's return.
"They both have a mask packed in their bags so it's there if they want to wear it, but yeah I don't think they will wear them to be honest," she said.
"They've both had COVID twice before and I feel completely at ease with how their school has managed it all so far."
There was a mixed reaction to an ABC Hobart Facebook question asking parents how they were feeling about the school return, with Dee Russell posting just one word: "Nervous."
Jennifer Stewart replied that she would be home-schooling her children.
Serena Glover also supported more intervention.
"It should be mandatory for all staff and students to wear masks," she wrote.
Cindy Court said she expected a cycle of illness.
"They caught COVID wearing masks so no doubt they are going to get it again," she wrote.
Union urges mask mandate
The Australian Education Union said without a return to a mask mandate in schools, there would be continuous outbreaks this term.
"I don't think kids will wear masks unless it's mandated, they don't want to be the odd one out," the union's Brian Wightman said.
"The main concern of the union is mass absenteeism, what that actually means is an interruption to student learning.
"In Term 1 we had masks, we had vaccinated teachers and we also had an improvement in ventilation.
"We'd like to see a return to masks, we want to make sure all staff and teachers that return to work are vaccinated, and a ventilation audit."
Tasmania's Public Health Department has strongly recommended wearing a mask in all indoor public places and on public transport, and in other settings if you cannot physically distance.
"What they should be doing is having a mask mandate, we know that does make a difference."
The Tasmanian Association of State School Organisation said some parents and staff were confused over what health precautions were in place for Term 3.
'We really do need to make sure that the communication lines between families and the schools is very much open and at the moment there is a very big cloud over what kids can expect when they go back," said secretary Nigel Jones.
"The third term of school is exceptionally important for students with exams … so we need to make sure RAT tests are sent home with students in the first week of term, make sure there's plenty of hand sanitiser, make sure there's masks for those who want to wear one."
Schools safe, minister says
Education Minister Roger Jaensch reiterated public health's advice including wearing masks in classrooms.
"That's a principle that applies across our community, it applies in our schools as well," he said.
"We will support students with masks in schools, with RAT tests if they need them, just as we have before and we look forward to having kids back in school for face-to-face learning."
Mr Jaensch urged parents to send their children to school, saying "it's safe."
"There's been full risk management planning done, it's been reviewed, it's in consultation now with teachers, our schools are ventilated, and they're heated, and we are applying a strict cleaning regime," he said.
"We have a highly vaccinated workforce, and we have the ability to scale up protections around any particular group of students or school as we need to."
Students should be attending class unless they were legitimately unwell, he said.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said there was concern about what public health advice the government was using as the basis for its decisions.
"We're now going to see unvaccinated teachers return to the classroom, the removal of a mask mandate, and that does raise questions about the safety of our children," she said.
