Orkney records 13 new COVID-19 cases

A total of 13 new COVID-19 cases have been attributed to Orkney in the past 24 hours, according to daily figures published by the Scottish Government.

This makes a total of 39 new cases recorded in the county’s figures during the past week.

It is understood that a number of these cases are linked to a cluster connected with Stromness Academy.

Responding to concerns raised about cases connected with the school, this Wednesday morning, James Wylie, Orkney Islands Council’s executive director of education, housing and leisure  told members of the council’s education, leisure and housing committee that the authority was working “very closely” with public health officials in order to contain the virus.

The authority is in “constant discussion” with health officials as efforts are made to prevent community transmission of the virus, and public health is examining the situation in order to identify any patterns, according to Mr Wylie.

Mr Wylie also believed that an update on the situation would be sent out to parents as soon as possible. He said NHS Orkney’s public health team was taking a “very clear lead” in response to the outbreak, and should a pattern identified, an incident management team would be formed. He assured members of the committee that OIC and NHS Orkney were working around the clock in order to manage the outbreak.

It is anticipated that NHS Orkney and Orkney Islands Council will make a public statement on the Stromness Academy situation, later this afternoon.