An entire year group at Kirkby High School has been told to self-isolate after multiple Covid cases were reported at the academy.
In a letter to parents on Thursday (June 17), headteacher Rochelle Conefrey said five cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed among Year 8 pupils, requiring the whole year group to self-isolate for 10 days.
The outbreak means almost 200 pupils will have to have their lessons virtually until June 28.
READ MORE: Call for more vaccines in Knowsley as Covid cases surge
Mrs Conefrey said in her letter: “I hope this does not cause too much anxiety and we are here for you, if you need us. We look forward to seeing your child return to school on Monday 28th June.”
Covid-19 cases have risen more than 10-fold in Knowsley since indoor hospitality venues were allowed to reopen a month ago, with more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents being reported in the borough.
Cases appear to be concentrated among younger, unvaccinated people with those aged between 15 and 29 showing the highest infection rates.
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Parts of Kirkby have also been identified as hotspots for the virus, possibly due to having a higher proportion of unvaccinated people.
Yesterday, council leader Graham Morgan called for more vaccination centres to be opened in the borough, where vaccine take-up lags behind much of the rest of Cheshire and Merseyside.
He also asked the government for more flexibility over who was eligible to receive vaccines in an effort to protect as many as possible from the growing fourth wave.
