Face masks required in schools as Covid cases in Cheshire worst since pandemic began
Temporary measures will be introduced in schools with immediate effect
School children in East Cheshire must wear face masks after Covid cases have risen to their highest level since the pandemic began, government figures show.
The UK Government website for data and insights on coronavirus revealed that the rate of positive Covid cases in Cheshire East is at 540 per 100,000 people.
That's significantly higher than the rate of 408 per 100,000 in the North West and the national rate altogether, with 357 out of 100,000 people in England testing positive.
See the areas in East Cheshire with the highest positive case rate per 100,000 as of 7 October:
• Sandbach Ettiley Heath & Wheelock - 1,175
• Alsager West - 1,161
• Alsager East – 1,013
• Sandbach North – 1,008
• Congleton West Heath - 868
Temporary measures introduced
The alarming rise has seen Cheshire East Council introduce temporary measures to combat Covid cases in schools and colleges.
Wearing face masks in communal areas, reducing mixing in assemblies and re-introduction of testing facilities will be necessary on a school-by-school basis depending on infection rates.
The Council has written to parents and carers to explain the new measurements, and that they will be introduced with immediate effect due to the number of positive cases in school-aged children continuing to rise.
The letters state that if one person in a household tests positive, those who attend school or college should:
• Limit their social contacts
• Arrange for a PCR test and should not attend school or college for a minimum of five days
• If the test result is positive the person should self-isolate, as required by law
The Council's response
Councillor Sam Corcoran, leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “This latest surge means we have a record high number of positive Covid-19 cases right across the borough.
“Even though Covid-19 hospitalisations remain low, if we don’t prevent the cases from rising with winter approaching, there could be major disruption to children’s education and in adult social care settings.”
Dr Matt Tyrer, director of public health at Cheshire East Council, said: “Despite the best efforts of everyone, Covid-19 cases are now rising across the borough, our neighbouring local authority areas and the north west.
“The advice now is that we all need to take precautions to help stop the spread. We must go back to following the basics of what we all know – hands, space, face and fresh air.
Jacky Forster, director of education at Cheshire East Council, said: “We will continue to monitor the case numbers in schools and other education settings and will step down these temporary measures as soon as infection rates start to reduce.