St Andrews Primary School confirms 15 COVID cases as 164 pupils remain home

St Andrews Primary School has 15 confirmed PCR cases of COVID-19 as of lunchtime today Wednesday, 15 December, according to an update from Orkney Islands Council (OIC).

There have been no further positive Lateral Flow Tests to report today.

There were 45 children at St Andrews School today out of a school roll of 209.

The P4 class will remain closed tomorrow and Friday, with the aim of reopening in full on Monday, December 20.

At an incident meeting this afternoon with representatives from Public Health, the council’s Education Directorate, Schools, Environmental Health, Safety and Resilience, Sport and Leisure and Community Learning and Development, the decision was made to maintain closure of the P4 class in the meantime.

Environmental Health carried out an assessment of the school today to ensure enhanced mitigating measures are in place to reduce the possibility of transmission.

Ceri Dare, the environmental technical officer, is available for free advice and support around COVID-secure requirements and best practice. She can be contacted on 01856 873535 ext 2817.

The council continue to appeal for folk to be vigilant for symptoms and to continue with lateral flow tests and to log the results online whether negative or positive. This allows Public Health to begin contact tracing straight away.

All new testing procedures are outlined here https://www.ohb.scot.nhs.uk/news/community-testing-service-update-procedure-15-november-2021