Portsmouth schools told to 'cancel nativities' over Omicron fears by council

SCHOOLS have been told to cancel parents’ invitations to nativities and Christmas shows in the wake of the Omicron variant.
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Portsmouth City Council has told primary and secondary schools to cancel events or hold them virtually.

It comes after a Covid case involving the Omicron variant was identified at Solent Infant School.

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The authority is working with the UK Health Security Agency and schools in the area after the new, more transmissible strain was found.

A Year 6 pupil wearing a face mask raises a hand to ask a question in a classroom at the College Francais Bilingue De Londres French-English bilingual school in north London on June 2, 2020. Picture: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty ImagesA Year 6 pupil wearing a face mask raises a hand to ask a question in a classroom at the College Francais Bilingue De Londres French-English bilingual school in north London on June 2, 2020. Picture: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
A Year 6 pupil wearing a face mask raises a hand to ask a question in a classroom at the College Francais Bilingue De Londres French-English bilingual school in north London on June 2, 2020. Picture: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
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Sally Hodges, interim director of children, families and education, said: ‘For any in-person events with parents next week, schools have been advised to either cancel the event or hold it virtually.

‘All schools have their individual risk assessments in place and the council supports any decisions by schools to introduce additional measures to help reduce the spread of infection.’

Earlier this week public health director Helen Atkinson said Portsmouth’s Covid case rate had reached a peak since the start of the pandemic.

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