Hampshire schools report 95 active Covid cases in last 10 days
DESPITE being in lockdown and schools being closed to all but key worker children Hampshire County Council had nearly 100 reported active Covid cases from pupils in the last 10 days.
In total 95 instances of Covid cases have been reported during this period. However the numbers of pupils infected with the virus could be far higher as the cases listed are only those which have been reported to the Local Authority.
Since the onset of lockdown on January 5 there is no formal requirement for pupils who are remote learning to notify their school if they contract Coronavirus and so the figures are based on schools that have been notified of a case and have in turn informed the council.
With the widening of the key worker list and vulnerable children now including pupils without access to digital learning or a suitable work area, concerns have been raised about the number of children attending schools and the continued potential for Covid transmission.
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Commenting on the situation the general secretary of the National Association of Headteachers, Paul Whiteman said: ‘We would urge the government to be clear about how many children on site is too many if we want to supress the virus.’