Coronavirus: Joint Statement from Shropshire Council and St Mary’s CE Primary School
Shropshire Council is working with Public Health England (PHE) West Midlands following confirmation of a case of COVID-19 at St Mary’s CE Primary School in Albrighton.
On the advice of Public Health England, the school has taken the decision to close the school until Thursday 24 September to all pupils and staff. There will then be a staggered return for pupils between Thursday 24 and Friday 25 September.
In line with NHS guidance, as soon as the individual became symptomatic, they went home to self-isolate for at least 10 days. All members of the household of the affected individual were reminded they must isolate at home for 14 days.
PHE has advised the St Mary’s CE Primary School to clean the premises thoroughly; especially touch points like door handles, communal areas like toilets and dining hall, and anywhere else the individual/s spent time, to reduce risk of further infection. St Mary’s have informed parents/carers and staff of the situation and measures being taken to make the school COVID-19 safe.
Rachel Robinson, Shropshire Council’s director of public health said:
“We want to reassure students and parents/carers that the risk of infection is very low. St Mary’s CE Primary School has taken all the necessary precautions to ensure to limit the spread of the virus.
“To date, there has only have one confirmed case. Anyone who is symptomatic will be offered immediate testing. Contact tracing is underway and if anyone is identified as a contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19, a contact adviser from Test and Trace will be in touch with appropriate advice.
“We are not addressing this as an outbreak at this moment in time, but we’ll remain in close contact with the senior leaders in the school, should the situation change.
“Protecting the health of our population remains a priority, and at this time we would also like to remind everyone to follow social distancing advice to reduce their social interaction with other people.
“Good hand hygiene remains the best protection against the virus, including washing your hands more regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
“If you are showing coronavirus symptoms, or if you or any of your household are self-isolating, for example if you have been contacted as part of the test and trace programme, you should stay at home – this is critical to staying safe and saving lives.”
Amanda Skidmore, Headteacher of St Mary’s CE Primary School, Albrighton said:
“On PHE advice we are having to close to protect all of the children and staff in our school following a positive COVID-19 test in our education community. We will reopen when it is safe to do so but will be supporting our pupils during this period with remote learning.”
If you have any queries or concerns, call Shropshire Council’s Education Line on 0345 678 9008
The support line is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Press 5 for back to school enquiries.
