Dublin primary school class sent home after one pupil tests positive for coronavirus
Children told to self-isolate as cases emerge in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland
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Your support makes all the difference.Schools across the UK and Ireland are facing continued disruption to the start of the academic year as pupils test positive for coronavirus.
One primary school in Dublin confirmed a whole class had been sent home on Tuesday in order to ”restrict the movements” of children who may have been in close contact with the confirmed case.
Another in County Armagh in Northern Ireland told one of its classes of six-year-olds not to come in for their first two weeks of the new term after a pupil with Covid-19 attended an induction period lasting just a few hours.
Meanwhile in Scotland, where pupils have been back in lessons for two weeks, there have been several cases of pupils and classes being asked to stay at home as a result of positive cases.
A total of 117 children have tested positive for coronavirus since schools reopened on 11 August, Scottish education secretary John Swinney said.
The total includes 40 children aged between five and 11 and 77 youngsters aged between 12 and 17.
Mr Swinney told MSPs the evidence suggested most cases were “coming within households” or as a result of overseas travel.
Health officials in Glasgow have launched investigations into cases linked to seven schools in the area over the last two days – but said there was “no risk to the wider community”.
“At this time there is no evidence of transmission within the schools themselves,” a spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde added.
The health board said that the decision on whether to send whole classes home depended on the specific situation and how children had mixed with any confirmed cases.
On Monday the principal of a primary school in Ireland, which reopened last week, confirmed that one of the senior classes had been sent home after a child tested positive for the virus.
“The case originated outside the school,” the principal told The Irish Independent. “The school has been following all public health protocols for the re-opening of schools and I wish to thank the families who have been very supportive of the school’s reopening.”
Affected pupils will instead learn over live Zoom lessons during the two-week quarantine period.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “There will be cases of Covid-19 among children and in school settings over the coming days and weeks, as there have been throughout this pandemic to date.
“In the event of confirmed COVID-19 cases in school settings, public health teams in the HSE will respond and liaise closely with the school involved and ensure that all necessary measures are taken to protect students and school staff.”
Northern Ireland has seen several cases in recent days. Two classes at St Anthony’s Primary School in Lurgan were sent home on Friday after two pupils from the same family tested positive.
Parents of another primary school in Jonesborough, County Armagh, were told that a child who attended school for an induction on Friday had tested positive for Covid-19.
“All children in Primary 2/3 will be shortly asked to self-isolate for 14 days from the last date of contact (in school, Friday 28th August),” principal Donal Keenan said.
“If you are contacted by PHA then your child was not in close contact with the positive case and your child is free to return to school.”
The classroom was closed for ”enhanced clean” but the rest of the school remains unaffected.
Schools in England will now have to consider whether to take similar action in response to positive tests as pupils return this week.
The government said that schools should follow the existing guidance about protective measures to reduce risks for staff and pupils. It states that only pupils and staff who had been in close contact with the infected person should go home.
“Getting all children back into their classrooms full-time is a national priority, because it is the best place for their education, development and wellbeing,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Education.
“We have always been clear in our guidance about the protective measures that schools should implement to reduce risks for staff and pupils as far as possible.
“Parents are becoming increasingly confident in their children returning to school, which is testament to the work of school staff across the country who are putting in place a range of protective measures to prepare to welcome back all pupils at the start of term.”
Additional reporting by Press Association
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