Secondary school closes for deep clean amidst alert
A school and nursery in Perth have been forced to temporarily close as a precaution against the coronavirus.
The secondary school announced on Sunday it would closed for three days after a person connected to the facility was told to self-isolate after displaying coronavirus symptoms.
The school is currently undergoing a deep clean and is expected to reopen to students on Thursday.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said:“An individual at Perth High is currently staying at home as they have symptoms consistent with coronavirus.
“Current guidance is that such individuals will not be tested. We will be conducting a deep clean of Perth High School, which goes beyond the cleaning recommended by current advice from Public Health Scotland.
“This will take three days and the school will reopen to pupils on Thursday, March 19.
“Parents and pupils at the school are receiving specific updates about continuing learning at home.
“The wellbeing of our communities is of the utmost importance and we are working alongside partners to prepare.
“In terms of education, we’re planning for any potential future disruption and liaising daily with government and NHS colleagues.”
The Perth High closure could be a preview of what is to come after Scottish ministers last week revealed they are ready to shut schools for more than four months as part of a drastic plan to delay the spread of coronavirus.
The lockdown would continue until the start of the summer holidays, meaning pupils could be off from early April until mid-August — up to 19 weeks.
Letham Nursery also closed yesterday due to a high number of staff absences amidst the outbreak.
A PKC spokesperson said:“Letham Nursery is closed in relation to staff absences and will reopen today.”