Seventeen staff and two pupils have tested positive for coronavirus at a school which has now been shut until at least next week to undergo a deep clean.
All staff and children at Kingspark School in Dundee, which reopened along with other schools in Scotland on August 12, have been told to self-isolate for two weeks.
NHS Tayside confirmed positive cases among three 'community contacts' linked to the cluster at the school, which has about 185 pupils aged between five and 18.
All pupils at the school, which was purpose built in 2009, have additional support needs - with many also having additional physical disabilities or medical problems.
Kingspark School was closed last Wednesday and all parents received a joint letter from the local council and NHS at the end of last week to keep them updated.
The outbreak in Dundee was revealed as a leading Public Health England scientist revealed teachers are far more likely to spread Covid-19 than children. It comes as:
- Boris Johnson has pleaded with parents to send their children back to the classroom as he takes charge of the drive to get all schools open next week;
- Every school will be provided with coronavirus testing kits so they can quickly check pupils;
- Ministers have given the green light for the resumption of breakfast and after-school clubs to provide extra childcare so more parents can get back to work;
- Professor Chris Whitty said the chances of many children being damaged by not going to school are clear and so the balance of risk is very strongly in favour of children going to school.
Covid-19 cases have been confirmed at four schools in the Dundee region in recent days
All staff and children at Kingspark School in Dundee (file image) have been told to self-isolate
Health officials confirmed a single positive case has also been linked to the primary 2A class at St Peter and Paul's School in Dundee.
A positive case has also been linked to Happy Times out-of-school club at Downfield Primary School in the same city.
Where have the Covid cases been reported at schools in Dundee?
- Kingspark School – 22 cases (17 staff, 2 children, 4 community contacts) – CLOSED
- St Peter and Paul's School – 1 case - OPEN
- Newburgh Primary School - 1 case (child) - OPEN
- Downfield Primary School – 1 case – OPEN
The NHS also confirmed that a child attending the nursery at Newburgh Primary School was now isolating at home with other household members.
One concerned mother said news about a case at one of the nurseries in Dundee was 'every parent's worst nightmare'.
She added: 'It's a very worrying development and there's a great level of concern as you'd expect from parents with children at the nursery.
'I have been advised that my child is to isolate for 14 days from the first day they came into contact with the confirmed case, however older siblings will still be required to attend the primary school.
'There's a lot of confusion and anxiety among parents I've spoken to about the situation but we'll follow the advice we've been given.'
Dr Ellie Hothersall, consultant in public health medicine with NHS Tayside, said: 'Since the identification of positive cases at Kingspark, a detailed contact tracing programme has been under way and these linked cases are being identified because of those concerted efforts of Test and Protect.
'We must do everything we can to protect all of our communities against Covid-19 and that is why we have issued the guidance to self-isolate.
'By taking this action we are containing any further spread of infection.we know this may cause anxiety to some parents and children but we must do everything we can to ensure we keep people safe.'
Teachers are far more likely to spread Covid than children, says leading scientist as figures show just 1 in 10,000 schools have been hit by outbreaks
Teachers are far more likely to spread Covid-19 than children, according to a leading scientist.
Shamez Ladhani, a paediatric infectious diseases specialist at Public Health England (PHE), said that school staff will maintain social distancing rules during work but are more likely to break them outside the classroom.
It comes as data shows just one in 10,000 schools have been hit by a virus outbreak since they reopened in June. Separate analysis revealed only one in 23,000 children were infected.
A PHE analysis found 70 children out of 1.6million who had returned to school in June tested positive for Covid-19. Another 128 members of staff tested positive. And only 30 outbreaks were confirmed at 23,400 reopened schools.
The analysis, published yesterday, said the majority of cases linked to outbreaks were in staff and warned that school staff needed to be 'more vigilant for exposure outside the school setting to protect themselves, their families and the educational setting'.
Dr Shamez Ladhani, paediatric infectious diseases specialist at PHE, who headed the monitoring of England's schools, told The Times: 'We need to educate the educators.
'There's a clear need for a duty of care outside the school setting so staff need to protect themselves, and in turn other staff and pupils.'
He added: 'Staff are very good at social distancing and infection control in the classroom, but upon leaving the school environment these measures are more likely to be broken, potentially putting themselves and their colleagues at risk.'
Elsewhere, a member of staff and two pupils at High Blantyre Primary School in South Lanarkshire have tested positive for Covid-19.
NHS Lanarkshire said adults and children connected to primary three or primary four had been asked not to attend class.
They will be offered testing on Wednesday and asked to self-isolate until they receive confirmation of a negative result.
Dr Josephine Pravinkumar, consultant in public health medicine, said: 'We are aware that there will be concern among both children and their parents at this time.
'We would like to reassure the local community that appropriate measures are being implemented.
'Individuals should stay off school or work and get tested if they or their close contacts experience any Covid-19 symptoms, such as a cough, fever or loss of taste or smell, even if they are mild.'
Shelagh Mclean, Fife Council's head of education and children's services, said: 'We are following public health advice and talking with our colleagues in NHS Fife about actions required regarding Covid-19.
'With their direction, we are taking all appropriate actions, including that relating to Test and Protect and contact with any confirmed case linked to one of our schools.
'A joint letter, from us and the NHS, was issued to all parents and carers in Fife at the end of last week to keep them informed.
'We've also issued a comprehensive list of questions and answers to help with any questions that they may have, and reminded them of their responsibilities around quarantining at www.fife.gov. uk/schoolcovidfaqs'
Meanwhile restrictions have been placed on care homes across Tayside as authorities try to stem the spread of a coronavirus outbreak.
Indoor visits to the premises are due to restart across Scotland today, if deemed safe to do so.
However, the Tayside Incident Management Team (IMT) said this was not possible given the ongoing management of the cluster associated with the 2 Sisters factory, as well as other localised cases in the area.
Dr Emma Fletcher, associate director of public health for NHS Tayside, said: 'The NHS Tayside Health Protection Team and colleagues in the three Health and Social Care Partnerships in Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross, together with other partner agencies, determined that the reintroduction of indoor visiting should not go ahead in Tayside at this time due to the ongoing situation at the factory and a number of other clusters and positive cases.
All pupils at the school, which was purpose built in 2009, have additional support needs
'We know that this will cause a level of anxiety and disappointment amongst care home residents and their loved ones, however we must ensure that we do everything we can to protect care home residents, staff and their families as we continue to address the challenges that Covid-19 presents.'
There have been 110 positive cases linked to the factory cluster, including 96 workers and 14 community contacts.
All staff and their households, including children, have been ordered to self-isolate until August 31. That measure is in force even if they have a negative result.
Dr Fletcher added: 'The increase in positive cases linked to the factory again today is in line with what we expected and we continue to undertake detailed contact tracing of all cases to ensure everyone fully understands what action they must take.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses during a visit to St Joseph's Catholic School in Upminster, East London, on August 10 to see how new Covid-19 preparedness plans had been put in place
'Over the last week in Tayside as a whole, more than 2,500 tests have been taken at the testing sites across the area, including the two dedicated facilities in Coupar Angus and Dundee brought in specifically to support testing of 2 Sisters factory workers.
'Hundreds of workers have attended for testing and given the volume of testing which has now been completed, we expect positive cases to continue to rise in the coming days as tests are processed and we receive the results.'
Meanwhile Boris Johnson has pleaded with parents to send their children back to the classroom as he takes charge of the drive to get all UK schools open next week.
NHS Tayside has issued the above guidance about the closure of Kingspark School in Dundee
The Prime Minister warned last night that pupils risk permanent damage to their future life chances if they continue to stay away.
Mr Johnson, who tomorrow morning will return to No10 following his summer break, is in a race against the clock to get schools ready and persuade parents they are safe in time for the start of the new term.
The Government faces a big test to deliver on its promise to get all children full-time back following its shambolic handling of A-level and GCSE results.
Many pupils in England have not been to class since March, when schools were closed except to vulnerable children and those of key workers.
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