Pres remains open as no case linked to Bray school

PRESENTATION College in Bray was forced to issue a statement on Monday announcing that it was not the school closed due to coronavirus. Pres has still not experienced any case of coronavirus (Covid-19) linked to the school, following the return in recent weeks of 56 pupils from a skiing trip in the Lombardy region of Italy.

Principal Pat Gregory said that the school is following HSE protocols and remains open as usual.

Last week, most boys attended school at Pres. Some parents chose to keep their children home as a precaution.

In a statement, the school said that it had received a letter from chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan regarding the confirmed case of coronavirus at the weekend. A school in Dublin has been closed for two weeks. ‘Please note that the school in question is not Pres Bray,’ read the statement.

Second year Pres Bray pupils and their teachers had travelled home from the region of Lombardy on Friday, February 21. The school was advised by the HSE that they had not travelled from an affected area.

Parent-teacher meetings due to proceed the following Tuesday evening were postponed as a precaution.

On Wednesday, the school was advised by the HSE that the area in which the students had been staying in Italy has now been included in the affected area. The whole province of Lombardy now being outlined, as opposed to the towns or villages where there are cases of the virus.

The advice being given by the HSE remained the same and was that there was no need to close the school, and no need to exclude students who were on the trip unless they are unwell.

Only students who were on the trip and are unwell should stay out of school.

In his letter to Pres, Dr Holohan said that more than 80 per cent of people who have contracted the virus got a mild form and recovered in two to three weeks. Around 20 per cent experienced a more severe form of the disease, tending to be associated with ages over 60, and having other health issues.

He said that the virus, ‘Covid-19’ is spread through close contact with an infected person’s body fluids, e.g. droplets from coughing or sneezing, or by touching surfaces that an infected person has coughed or sneezed on.