Face coverings become mandatory in Scotland’s secondary schools
As fears over a resurgence of Covid-19 grow, and the wearing of face masks in corridors and for pupils in Scottish secondary schools moving between classes became mandatory yesterday, these students at Glasgow’s Holyrood Secondary School were very much ‘on message’
Parents of school children have been told to only take their children out of education if they are exp eri encing the three main Covid-19 symptoms in updated advice from the Scottish Government.
Classic cold symptoms such as a sore throat or a runny nose are not considered symptoms of coronavirus, an open letter to parents from the national clinical director Jason Leitch said.
Deputy First Minister and education secretary John Swinney reiterated the advice during the Scottish Government’s daily corona virus briefing.
He said children should only be tested for Covid-19 or taken out of school if they present with a new, persistent cough, a high fever, or a loss of taster and/or smell.
The comments came after a week of increased demand for testing from parents of children present ing with symptoms comparable to ‘the sniffles’.
Such was the demand, parents were being told the closest place for a test could be several hours drive away or, in some cases, in England.
Mr Swinney said at the briefing that more common and less dangerous viruses often see an increase in cases around the return of schools. He said: “Following the return of schools after a prolonged break, it is common for cold sand similar viral infections to circulate. In many cases, children will be well enough to attend school and continue their learning with little or no interruption to their education.”
Mr S win neythenec hoed the words of Mr Leitch’s open letter to parents, highlighting the need for a test if children present with a continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in the sense of taste and smell.
In Mr Leitch’s letter, he outlines that a runny nose is not considered a symptom of Covid-19.
He said: “The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.”