Nearly everyone at a Merseyside primary school has been forced to self-isolate, after more than two dozen people tested positive for Covid-19.
In total there have been 26 virus cases at Mendell Primary School in Bromborough, Wirral, causing all but one year group and one teacher to self-isolate.
Cllr Chris Carubia, chair of governors at the school, confirmed the news.
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The Liberal Democrat councillor, who represents Eastham, said the Covid-19 outbreak at the school has been hugely disruptive.
Under current rules pupils and teachers must self-isolate for 10 days if someone in their ‘bubble’ tests positive for coronavirus.
Cllr Carubia said this was the case not just for pupils and schools, but also for families who may have to arrange alternative childcare or not go into work to look after their children.
Julie Webster, Wirral’s director of public health, said: “We don’t comment on the numbers of children isolating at individual schools.
“If a primary school child is showing Covid-19 symptoms, they should isolate and their parent or guardian should take them for a PCR test immediately.
"We know that many families are currently experiencing disruption due to high rates of Covid-19 and encourage everyone to follow the guidelines in place to stop the spread of the virus and limit the impact on our community.”
Many schools across Wirral have been hit by Covid-19 cases.
Earlier this week an entire Year 1 class at Town Lane Infant School in Bebington was told to isolate due to a case of the virus within its ‘bubble’.
It is clear the problem is having a huge impact on schools.
Last week, Ms Webster confirmed that just over 3,300 pupils in Wirral were self-isolating.
In a meeting last Wednesday, Ms Webster also said around 250 school staff were self-isolating.
She noted that while these were big numbers, most children in the borough were still going to school, with around 6% of pupils and around 5% of school staff self-isolating.
In an attempt to deal with the disruption being caused by self-isolation, newly appointed Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced this week that anyone aged under 18 who is a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case will no longer have to self-isolate.
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This will come into effect from August 16 - ahead of the new school year in September - and young people will be given advice about whether they should get tested depending on their age.
The key change in the rules will mean children only have to isolate for 10 days if they test positive for coronavirus themselves.
People who have received two doses of the vaccine will also no longer have to self-isolate from August 16 if they are exposed to a positive case of Covid-19.
Do you agree with the rule changes on self-isolation? Let us know in the comments below
