A Cardiff primary school has closed to Covid for all pupils except those in its nursery.
Millbank Primary will re-open on Monday May 24, headteacher Karen Brown said in a message to parents.
A total of five staff and 23 pupils have tested positive. Some, but not all asymptomatic pupils have been tested.
Further testing of reception and year two pupils is underway.
It is the first time sine the pandemic began last year that Millbank has had any coronavirus cases.
In her message Mrs Brown told worried parents that Public Health Wales had confirmed the cases are the Kent variant of Covid and most are mild or asymptomatic.
But she warned some families are not following self isolating rules.
“We are aware that some families have not followed the self-isolation rules,” her message to families, also posted on the school’s Twitter feed, says.
“Please remember that this is a legal requirement, and is the health and safety of the children, their families, and the wider community, 21 staff have also been self-isolating, so we know how difficult family life can be when one person cannot leave the house, but these are important rules for everyone’s sake.”
Pupils in the school’s Years Three to Six have been offered tests and now Public Health Wales want to test all children in reception to Year Two. Test Trace Protect will be contacting their families to arrange this.
Pupils have been told to self isolate until they have a negative result, although the school remains closed until next week.
Those with a positive result will have to self isolate for 10 days.
Mrs Brown said any child in reception to Year 6 who has refused a test or whose parents chose not for them to be tested must stay isolated up until (and including) Saturday 22nd May. She said that would be 14 days since their last day in school on May 7.
All pupils in Years Three to Year Six with a negative result came out of isolation on May 18 and can return to school on Monday or Tuesday.
The nursery remains open as it has been unaffected by this outbreak.
Mrs Brown’s message added:” A few families were worried last week, asking which variant of the Covid-19 virus we have been experiencing, as there is obviously a lot in the news at the moment about the latest variants.
“PHW have confirmed today that we’ve had the Kent variant at Millbank. As we have seen, it is very easily transmissible.
“However the vaccinations being given in Wales currently do work against it, and most cases are very mild, or asymptomatic. This is just as we have seen.
“Our high levels of transmission show how important it is that we all continue with social distancing, mask wearing and hand-washing as per the Welsh Government guidelines and law.”
