‘Schools not to blame for the surge in Covid cases’
PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS GIVE THEIR VERDICT
THE return of schools in Leicester and Leicestershire has not been driving the recent rises in coronavirus infection rates, according to public health officials.
The rates of new infections across the city and neighbouring Oadby and Wigston have been climbing again in recent weeks and a growing number of schools have been reporting Covid-19 cases among staff and pupils since classes resumed.
There has been some concern among parents that the governmentmandated return to schools has fuelled the rise in infections.
But public health experts at both Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council say recent data suggests otherwise.
There have been cases of the virus among staff and pupils at 50 schools, but officials say only a small number of the 150,000 children across the city have been infected.
City council public health consultant Rob Howard said the data did not show schools had been a particular cause of the wider increase in Covid cases.
He said: “There have been some cases where kids have tested positive but it is relatively small numbers. We think it is more likely they are getting it in their households and taking it into schools rather than getting it when mixing when they are there.
“In our view it is absolutely right that we need to get schools open and make them as safe as possible.
“It’s completely understandable that there should be concern about schools but as far as we are aware they are not the driver for this.”
County Hall director of public health Mike Sandys said: “We haven’t necessarily picked up that schools are unsafe or that there have been outbreaks in schools.
“What seems to have been happening is that cases in the community are being picked up in the school setting and that could reflect the increase in numbers we’ve had.
“Personally I think that what head teachers have done within schools has been great.”
Mr Sandys said he was particularly impressed with the ways schools and colleges had enforced social distancing, used remote learning and different timetables and carried out risk assessments on who needs to isolate when positive cases are found.
However, he added: “The school day doesn’t end at the school gate.
“There are a number of things at the school gates, and not to blame parents, it’s perfectly normal human behaviour to have a natter, but what people need to do is keep their distance and spread out and carry that through.
“That includes not doing a car share, or trying to avoid the informal playdate where kids play in a house together after school while the parents have a coffee in the kitchen.”