SYDNEY, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Influenza and COVID-19 are spreading rapidly among students and school staff in the Australian state of Victoria, causing the return of remote learning and exam extension.

From Friday, St Francis Xavier College's Berwick campus in Melbourne's southeast is forced to implement remote learning until at least next Tuesday. The school said the decision is due to the combined impact of COVID-19 and seasonal staff illness which has impacted their ability to supervise students on site.

Victoria's Deputy Premier James Merlino also confirmed with local media on Thursday that a private school in regional Shepparton has reverted to some remote learning, as the school needs to deal with staffing pressures.

The deadline for the national assessment program NAPLAN has also been extended in the state, as many students have not been able to complete exams within the initial testing windows.

NAPLAN is a national assessment of fundamental literacy and numeracy skills for students in years three, five, seven, and nine. Students were due to finish the tests by May 20 this year, but it has been pushed back to May 27 due to extensive staff and student absences, according to local media Herald Sun.

The Royal Children's Hospital said on Thursday that influenza has returned to the state and is already making children seriously unwell in the community. People are encouraged to get a flu shot soon.

The hospital said last week that its emergency department was experiencing "extremely high demand and extended wait periods."

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to surge in the state. On Friday, Victoria reported 12,556 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths. There were 514 people with the virus in hospitals with 35 in the intensive care unit. Enditem

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