‘Risk-based’ judgments for schools

Schools could see individual classes sent home or be closed entirely if in-school transmission of Covid-19 is discovered, the First Minister said today.

In response to a question about when the Scottish Government would intervene and shut schools, Nicola Sturgeon said there would be a “risk-based judgments” made on each individual school.

Deputy first minister and education secretary John Swinney said “proportionate action” would be taken and that decisions would be made to “maximise” access to learning for children.

Ms Sturgeon said ‘trigger points’ for school closures if infections are found to have taken place will not be considered and instead decisions will be made on an individual school basis.

The First Minsiter said: “Our first task is to avoid that happening, just as I can’t rule out lockdown restrictions at some point in the future I can’t rule out having a cluster or an outbreak which starts in a school.

“Everything we are doing is to try and avoid that and risk-based judgements will be made in individual schools if a class has to be sent home or if the whole school has to close for a period and it’s important that we make those judgements on that basis rather than setting blanket trigger points.

“Obviously if community transmission was to get back to the kind of levels we saw through March and April, then having schools open full time there may be a different conclusion reached about that.

“But we are not at that stage and everything we are trying to do right now is designed to stop us getting back to that stage.

The comments came after primary school pupils in Blairgowrie, Perth and Paisley tested positive, as have secondary pupils in Baillieston, northeast Glasgow, and Coatbridge and Airdrie in North Lanarkshire this week.