STURGEON CONFIRMS RETURN TO SCHOOLS Council bosses hail vaccine ‘milestone’
FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed the phased and gradual return of pupils to school will go ahead as planned on Monday.
The decision means P1-3 pupils will return to classes next week and some senior secondary pupils who have essential work to complete for national assessment will also begin to return.
The First Minister said that the second phase, allowing more pupils to return to school, is unlikely to start before March 15.
Sturgeon said: “We are choosing to use the very limited headroom we have right now to get at least some children back to school, because children’s education and wellbeing is such a priority.
“But being able to get children back to education may mean the rest of us living with some other restrictions for longer.”
The First Minister said other lockdown restrictions will remain in place until at least the end of February as planned, and possibly for even longer.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s biggest teachers’ union said significant concerns over school safety remain to be addressed.
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan yesterday said: “Everyone is supportive of face-to-face teaching returning as soon as possible.
“That should not override safety concerns however, and teachers will be understandably nervous around today’s announcement.
“Community infection levels have fallen but still remain high in areas such as North Lanarkshire, and at 6%, the test positivity rate in Scotland remains above the level that the World Health Organisation recommends as indicative of the virus being under control.”
Mr Flannagan said the EIS believes a blended learning model, with around half of pupils in classes at any one time to allow for physical distancing, would have provided a more cautious and more appropriate basis for pupils returning to schools.
The First Minister warned that caution was still needed in exiting lockdown, which could be slower than the gradual re-opening last summer.
Sturgeon said: “A slight easing could cause cases to start rising quite rapidly. Even if older people have protection, it would put more pressure on the National Health Service.”
She added that for a period yet, we need to “remain cautious”.
Sturgeon said: “We cannot continue in lockdown indefinitely. We need to plan a phased return to as much normality as possible.”
The latest daily statistics showed there were 773 new cases, which is 6% of all tests carried out on Monday.
There were 1383 people in hospital, down by 45, and there were 100 patients in intensive care, down by two. There were 49 deaths registered of someone who tested positive in the past 28 days.
MORE than 120,000 people within a local health board area have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccination. Bosses at NHS Lanarkshire have hailed the “milestone” as teams have jabbed more than 20% of the adult population.
Meanwhile, appointment letters have been sent to everyone over the age of 65 and to those deemed as “extremely vulnerable”.
Dr Mark Russell, lead for the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Lanarkshire, said: “We reached this significant milestone on Friday and this has increased over the weekend to more than 120,000.
“This means that more than 20% of the local adult population have received their first dose.
“While the programme hasn’t been without its challenges, I would like to thank our staff for their continued hard work in rolling out the largest ever vaccination programme. We are currently vaccinating everyone aged over 65. We are on course to finish these groups by late February.”
Dr Russell added: “We are vaccinating people as quickly and as safely as possible. However, it will take time, so we are asking you to be patient and wait to be contacted.
“Once you are vaccinated it takes two to three weeks to provide protection, so we all still need to stick to the national FACTS guidance.”
Those attending vaccination appointments are asked to remember to bring your appointment letter with you, arrive as close to your appointment time as possible to avoid queues building up, wear a face covering for the entire duration of your appointment (unless you are medically exempt) and follow the signs and directions from staff once you arrive at the vaccination centre.