Wishaw students told to wear masks

Wishaw school pupils are getting used to wearing face masks to school after the latest safety announcement from the Scottish Government.

High school students are now being asked to wear the coverings in communal spaces and corridors where social distancing is a challenge.

And all pupils, including those at primary school, will also now need to wear face coverings on dedicated school transport, bringing their buses and taxis into line with wider public transport.

Nicola Sturgeon told at her daily First Minister’s briefing how both situations give “greater potential for different groups to mix, more chance of voices being raised resulting in the creation of aerosols, and less scope for distancing and effective ventilation”.

Adults will also wear face coverings in the same schoolbased situations; and schools will this week be “expected to provide pupils with clear instructions on the use of face coverings”, while the Scottish Government will work with councils to ensure that supplies of coverings are available for those who may need them.

The new policy, announced last week by education secretary John Swinney, follows a change of guidance from the World Health Organisation.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The scientific advisory group’s recommendations are based on the latest evidence, as well as the real-life experiences of schools since they reopened.

“We believe that face coverings could provide an additional layer of protection in mitigating these factors [in communal spaces and school transport], and the guidance will emphasise how they can be used to address specific issues – for example, where there is a concern about a particular school, or where there is an outbreak or greater transmission in a particular area.

“Face coverings in the classroom are not necessary – however, the guidance says that staff should wear them if they can’t physically distance and are having face-to-face interaction with pupils for more than around 15 minutes.”