SECOND SCHOOL HIT BY VIRUS
FRESH OUTBREAK OF COVID IN THE CLASSROOM
Pandemic track and trace experts have been called into a second Renfrewshire primary school after a postive test for the virus.
Renfrewshire Council confirmed last night that public health officials were working to trace all those who had been in close contact with the infected person at Wallace Primary in Elderslie.
They did not reveal if a child or a member of staff had contracted the virus.
The news comes just a day after Todholm Primary in Paisley confirmed efforts were also underway to test all those who had been in close contact with a child who had tested positive for the disease.
But the local authority has insisted both schools are still safe for children to attend.
A spokesman for Renfrewshire Council said: “We can confirm the NHS are carrying out Test and Protect contact tracing at Wallace Primary in Elderslie.
“All parents and carers with a child at the school are being contacted via text message with a letter from the NHS to make them aware.
“NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are leading on the response and have carried out a careful risk assessment on the school, assisted by our staff.
“The NHS Te s t and Protect team are identifying and contacting those affected, who are
being advised to self-isolate and being given appropriate advice and support.”
The spokesman added: “The NHS advice is there are robust control measures in place at the school and there is currently no evidence of transmission within the school itself.
“They are advising that apart from those who are identified as contacts, all other pupils and staff can continue to attend as normal.”
Education chiefs are reminding parents not to send their children to school if they - or anyone in their household - is showing any symptoms of Covid-19.
These include a new and persistent cough, high temperature or fever and loss of taste and smell.
The person showing symptoms should selfisolate and be tested as soon as possible.
A worried mum, meanwhile, has raised serious concerns about coronavirus safety measures at Paisley Grammar following an outbreak at a nearby primary school.
Deborah Beggs, whose son has type one diabetes, has dubbed the Grammar’s approach to safety “pretty lacking” and says it is failing to manage the risks to senior pupils.
She raised her concerns the day after feeder school, Todholm Primary, confirmed a postive test.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said on Monday evening it had started contact tracing youngsters and staff who had been in close contact with the infected pupil.
Deborah told the Express: “My son is in fifth year and type one diabetic so obviously, with underlying health issues, I’m looking to ensure everything possible is being done to keep him safe.
“But he’s told me there is no hand sanitizing moving between classes, children are using changing rooms, desks are pulled together in groups and they are not even trying to social distance the senior years.
“My concerns are more heightened because the evidence is still up in the air about the risks to the older age group.
“I asked the school that a list of measures be made available to parents/carers as, going by what I’ve been told they have in place in comparison to other schools/councils, it appears Paisley Grammar is pretty lacking!”
Deborah added: “Now we learn about the child in Todholm and one of my immediate thoughts was if the track and trace team would let the Grammar know if those children have siblings there.
“It’s feeder school for the Grammar so there must be siblings there.
“If there is any indication at all there is a risk to Grammar students, I will take him out of school in a second.”
Renfrewshire Council - which is responsible for Todholm Primary and Paisley Grammar - refused to say whether or not vulnerable children and high risk adults working at Todholm had stayed away from the primary yesterday morning.
The local authority also declined to reveal how many children and members of staff had been asked to self isolate, or if any additional safety measures were being put in place at the Lochfield Road site.
A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said of Paisley Grammar: “Our biggest priority is the health and wellbeing of all children and young people when they return to our schools and nurseries.
“We have planned extensively for this over the summer and all our planning closely follows national guidance to make sure they feel safe, confident and engaged in their surroundings.
“In line with national guidance, all pupils are encouraged to wash their hands when they come into school and throughout the day.
“Hand wash and hand sanitiser are available in all secondary schools.”
Teachers union the Education Institute of Scotland has meanwhile demanded the Scottish Government hire 3,500 teachers so that class sizes can be reduced.
The move would, the union argues, reduce the number of children from up to 33 individual households from coming together in one room to help reduce the spread of the virus.