The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Masks for secondary pupils may catch on
Secondar y schools across Scotland could follow Dundee’s lead in asking all pupils to wear face coverings in the classroom, according to public health expert Linda Bauld.
The Edinburgh University professor said the measures could be essential to keeping schools open and safe.
Senior pupils and their teachers are required to wear face coverings in all areas of the school building in tier three areas, which includes Dundee.
However, most secondary schools in the city have extended the guidance to ask S1-3 pupils to wear a mask.
Professor Bauld said she “would not be surprised” if more regions in Scotland followed suit.
“It’s a small measure but I think it’s a good measure,” she said.
“Let’s recognise that in many countries, all children in secondary schools have to wear face coverings, including in the classroom. I t ’s not uncommon at all.”
Secondary school pupils in Belgium had to wear masks before schools closed last week – only removing them for physical activities.
The risks of wearing a face mask in the classroom are minimal for children who do not have underlying health conditions or are vulnerable, Professor Bauld said.
Her own 15 - year- old daughter is one of many senior pupils in Scotland having to wear a mask as a result of tighter restrictions.
Despite her initial reluctance, the teenager has now come to terms with the new measures and is happy to do her bit.
“On her first day she came home feeling like she wanted to be sick,” Professor Bauld said.
“I recognise that it’s actually very tough, even for the older teens.
“But yesterday she said it has been fine, and it’s not bothering her at all any more.
“There really are very minimal risks. It is uncomfortable and it does take getting used to, and they need to find a face covering that’s not too heavy and that is the most comfortable to tolerate.”
However she said teachers must emphasise the importance of taking a break from mask-wearing and to allow pupils outside for fresh air – even on rainy days.
Parents have raised their concerns over the wellbeing of their children wearing a face covering for extended periods of time.
Scottish Government figures revealed there were almost 21,324 pupils off s c h o o l f o r coronavirus-related reasons on Monday and a further 23,034 on Tuesday – the highest level since the end of August.
Parent campaign group UsForThem Scotland have linked the absences to the new masking-wearing measures.
Spokeswoman Jo Bisset said: “We’ve warned from the start that forcing children to spend all day in a mask will cause more to miss school and these statistics show exactly that consequence.”
While they are pleased schools are remaining open, they fear absences may continue to rise if the rules are extended further than Dundee.
Ho w e v e r the public health professor said it may be a necessary step to ensure education is not disrupted.
“If the virus is at very low levels then face coverings in schools probably isn’t going to make much of a difference.
“But while we have high levels of infection in the community, anything we can do to make schools safer is good.
“We’ ve had ver y few outbreaks of Covid-19 in schools, it has been very well managed throughout the pandemic.
“But a lot of young people who develop the virus are a s y m p t o m at i c so they probably don’t even know they’ve got it – that’s why face coverings are a good idea.”
Linda said she was less supportive of the measures potentially being added to primary school children; however, she said it could not be ruled out.