Confirmed coronavirus cases at a number of Surrey schools
It comes just a week since students returned to classrooms.
Several schools in Surrey have reported confirmed cases of coronavirus, just a week since pupils started heading back into classrooms.
Surrey County Council has said at least eight schools have had cases so far.
These are:
- Ashford Park Primary School in in Staines
- Bell Farm Primary School in Hersham
- Echelford Primary School in Ashford
- Laleham C of E Primary School in Laleham
- The Royal Kent School in Oxshott
- The Winston Churchill School in Woking
- Trumps Green Infant School in Virginia Water
- Valley End C of E Infant School in Chobham.
The headteacher at Sandfield Primary School in Guildford, Kate Collins, also sent out a letter to parents yesterday (7 September) to inform them there was a positive case of COVID-19 in Year 3, although the county council were unable to confirm this.
The letter stated that as the child received the positive result on Sunday, they have not had direct contact with their class for 48 hours and so Public Health England (PHE) have "deemed it safe for the rest of the bubble to return to school".
It continued:
"The families of the children that were identified as having sat within a metre of the child in class, and for longer than 15 minutes, have been contacted.
"Those children are now self-isolating for 14 days just in case they develop symptoms."
A spokesperson for the council said they are working "closely" with PHE in advising schools when they have pupils who test positive:
"Each school has been advised to follow national guidance and ensure that anyone with symptoms self-isolates for at least ten days, and their household members isolate for 14 days.
"Staff and children in the same 'bubble' of a confirmed case may be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms, to avoid unknowingly spreading the virus."
Surrey and Hampshire county councils are urging everyone to still be "vigilant", despite "comparatively low" levels of COVID-19 in both areas.
The Surrey spokesperson added their public health team "monitor the data across the county daily".