THE Education Secretary has made clear the “absolute priority” to keep schools open amid soaring coronavirus cases as she urged pupils to test at home for the virus before heading back to classes.
With schools across Scotland returning this week, Shirley-Anne Somerville (below) urged secondary school students to take a lateral flow test either the night before lessons start back or on the morning of their return. Youngsters aged 12 to 15 years old are now eligible for their second doses of the vaccine, and pupils in this age group are also being encouraged to come forward for their jabs.
Chief medical officer Professor Sir Gregor Smith stressed that with the new Omicron variant of the virus spreading rapidly, it is “vital that we all do what we can to limit its transmission”.
Somerville said: “It is our absolute priority to keep schools safely open and minimise further disruption to learning. To achieve that, we need the help of the whole school community.”
She said that taking lateral flow tests before returning to school – and then continuing to test twice a week – could help prevent Covid outbreaks.
The Education Secretary added: “Safety guidance for schools was updated in December in light of Omicron and it is crucial that all the mitigations are strictly followed. These include physical distancing, one-way systems and the correct use of face coverings. By testing regularly and following the mitigations, pupils and staff can all play their part in keeping themselves, their families and their schools safe.”
Smith said: “Rapid lateral flow testing helps us to find infectious cases that might otherwise have been missed, as around one in three people with Covid-19 does not show classic symptoms.
“That’s why it is really important that secondary pupils and school and early learning and childcare staff take lateral flow tests before they return to classes and settings after the break, and that they keep testing regularly throughout term.”
He continued: “Pupils and staff who are eligible for vaccination should get their jags, and, where appropriate, boosters as soon as they can to receive greater protection from the virus.
“Those aged 12 to 15 are being offered second doses of the vaccine from this week and I would urge them to take up the offer.”
Smith and Somerville made their appeals as a teaching union warned the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases could cause “significant disruption” to schools unless “immediate action” is taken by the Scottish Government,
The NASUWT union insisted a range of measures are needed to help combat surging infection levels resulting from the Omicron variant.
Ministers are being urged to reduce the risk of transmission in the classroom by funding air-cleaning units for every school and college that needs such devices. The union is also calling for schools to get more resources for on-site testing and additional cash to help both schools and colleges cover the costs of supply staff to cover for Covid-related absences.
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