Secondary school pupils should wear masks in communal areas, Department for Education announces as third case of mutant Covid strain is found in UK
- The DfE have issued guidance as the HSA identified the third UK Omicron case
- Schools were emailed today and told masks ‘should be worn in communal areas’
- Pupils were also told to make sure to wear masks on public transport to school
Secondary school students have been told to wear masks in communal areas by the Department of Education – as the third UK case of the new Omicron Covid variant was identified.
The DfE sent an email update to schools and childcare providers which said: ‘Face coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and pupils or students in Year 7 and above, unless they are exempt.
‘Pupils or students (in Year 7 or above) should continue to wear face coverings on public and dedicated school transport, unless they are exempt.’
The new advice comes a day after Boris Johnson announced new face coverings rules on public transport and in shops
The update comes after the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) said an individual, who is longer in the country, tested positive for the Omicron variant after travelling to Westminster in London and the infection was ‘linked to travel to southern Africa’.
The Omicron variant is thought to be more transmissable than the currently-dominant Delta variant.
It was first identified in South Africa but has been found in Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands in the days since the World Health Organisation designated it a ‘variant of concern’.
The Prime Minister used the
Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, said: ‘Our advanced sequencing capabilities enable us to find variants and take rapid action to limit onward spread.
The Prime Minister used a televised press conference yesterday to introduce restrictions for the first time in months to delay the spread of the Omicron variant
Pupils were advised in the email to follow the new guidance if they use public transport to get to school
‘It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing.’
It comes after another 37,681 Covid cases and 51 deaths were recorded in the UK today.
The number of infections posted by Department of Health officials today is down 5.8 per cent from 40,004 recorded last Sunday, while the number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid fell by 16.4 per cent from 61 last week.
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