School Covid cases put families on alert
A HIGH school sent home 90 students to self-isolate after a confirmed Covid case.
The Year 10 pupils from Werneth High, in Romiley, were remote learning until March 23 after a fellow student tested positive despite having no symptoms.
The rapid lateral flow tests are being carried on all high school and college students to find positive cases that would otherwise go undetected.
They’re having three tests done in the first fortnight of schools returning, before being asked to self-test at home.
A message sent to parents on Friday, March12 said: “Frustratingly, this morning, we have had a child who was completely asymptomatic in Year 10 who tested positive.
“After consultation with the NHS and following tracing procedures, we have had to isolate 90 of our Year 10 students as a result: they have been in lessons with this young person over the past 48 hours.”
The pupils have been given testing kits to do at home before they return, with the school adding: “This is why we need to do the testing in school and via the home kits: because 1 in 3 people who are positive for coronavirus are asymptomatic.” The message to parents says that testing in Stockport secondary schools ‘has been generally successful.’
It says: “Very few positive cases have been identified: we are all keen to keep that going for everyone’s sake so that lockdown can be lifted as soon as possible.”
The attendance rate was 95 per cent at Werneth for the week commencing March 8, with Years 10 and 11 having completed all three of their school tests and the other years two out of three. That’s fantastic going by our testing team in school,” parents were told. “And now they have the process down to a fine art.”
It has been reported last week how hundreds of pupils have been sent home from Greater Manchester schools amid Covid cases among pupils, staff or both.
In some, just a small number of pupils are isolating as a result, while others, like Shevington High in Wigan, where there have been ‘multiple positive cases,’ the entire Year 8 cohort has been sent home. Schools liaise with public health to decide who needs to isolate, based on their individual circumstances. If your school is affected by a positive Covid test, let us know in the comments, or email emma.gill@reachplc. com.