Walsall Council is calling on all Walsall schools to reintroduce COVID-secure measures from Monday 18 October.
The plea comes from Walsall Council’s Director of Public Health Stephen Gunther after 1,100 cases of positive tests were reported in the last seven days, with half of them from children between 0-19.
The measures include:
- Class bubbles
- Staggered lunch breaks and start and finish times
- All non-essential events online
- Masks in communal areas (secondary only)
- Year-group bubbles (secondary only)
- Teaching staff social distancing (secondary only)
- COVID management for PE (secondary only)
Stephen Gunther, Director of Public Health for Walsall said:
“With cases of COVID-19 high again in Walsall – including those in the under-19 age groups – we think now is the time for schools to bring back COVID-secure measures.
“Although younger children with no underlying health conditions are less likely to become very ill from the virus, there is a chance that other family members may be more severely affected, particularly those who are clinically vulnerable.
“While they are not compulsory, we hope that they will help schools in the prevention and management of COVID-19 outbreaks and enable children to continue to attend lessons as normal.
“We continue to keep outbreaks in schools under close review and the Public Health team remains available to advise every school on the appropriate measures.”
The news comes as the COVID -19 vaccination scheme rolls out in Walsall schools with children between 12-15 eligible for a Pfizer vaccine. Parents will be notified of their school’s arrangements and receive consent forms shortly.
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