Pupils and staff at seven schools across the Vale of Glamorgan have been told to self-isolate following a cluster of confirmed cases at a school resource base.
Bubble groups at schools in Barry, Penarth, Llandough and Cowbridge have been advised to self-isolate by the Cardiff and Vale 'Test, Trace, Protect' service.
This is the full list of all the affected:
- Cadoxton Primary School, Barry
- Colcot Primary School, Barry
- Evenlode Primary School, Penarth
- High Street Primary School, Barry
- Llandough Primary School, Llandough
- Palmerston Primary School, Barry
- Y Bont Faen Primary School, Cowbridge
The precautionary measure has been taken after a small number of positive cases were recorded at the Llandough Resource Base last week.
The regional 'Test, Trace, Protect' team is working with the individual schools and the Vale of Glamorgan council to manage the incident and to support pupils, parents and staff. The council said pupils or staff outside of these bubble groups are not at risk.
Children in primary schools started to return to school from February 22, with older pupils due to head back to the classroom on Monday, March 15.
Councillor Lis Burnett, deputy leader of the Vale of Glamorgan council and cabinet member for education and regeneration, said: "This is a precautionary measure being taken to ensure any impact on schools is kept to a minimum. With more pupils returning to our schools and new variants of Covid-19 in circulation it is more important than ever that we act quickly and cautiously.
"All schools have robust processes in place to respond to incidents such as this and the use of contact bubbles has ensured that all other pupils will be able to attend school as planned, without further disruption to face-to-face learning.
"We all have a role to play in ensuring the return of pupils to the classroom is a success. Parents should not send their children to school if they have any symptoms of Covid-19. Instead the whole household should stay home and get tested."
The seven schools have contacted the parents or guardians of all affected pupils directly and more details about the arrangements for each school will be published on the Vale of Glamorgan council website.
People living in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan can now have a free coronavirus test to help find cases of new variants of Covid-19 and identify people who may be at risk of passing on the disease to others without knowing.
As well as the three most common symptoms of Covid-19 - a fever, a new continuous cough or a loss/change of taste and smell - people are now able to get a test if they have any of the following:
- Fatigue
- Myalgia (muscle ache or pain)
- A sore throat
- A headache
- Sneezing
- A runny nose
- A loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
Coronavirus tests can be booked online at https://gov.wales/getting-tested-coronavirus-covid-19 or by calling 119. When booking online due to the wider list of symptoms Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan residents should select the option: "You have been asked to take a test by your local council".
