Trafford schools asked to bring back masks to stem rising Covid rate

Video report by Sarah Rogers.

Pupils and staff in Trafford are being asked to wear face masks in school again after a rise in Covid cases.

The new advice to wear face-coverings when moving around the school applies to staff and pupils at secondary schools and staff at primaries.

Parents dropping off and picking up children at schools are also being asked to wear face coveringsTrafford currently has the fifth highest infection rate in England, currently at 618.1/100k (for the seven days up to 3 October), which is a 37% increase in a week.

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Health officials in the borough say the rise is being driven by an increase in infections in school children. There are 29 outbreaks at schools in Trafford.

The local authority has also issued new guidance on isolating. Since August, double vaccinated adults and all children do not have to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has Covid.

However pupils and staff in Trafford schools who live with someone who has Covid are now asked to do daily lateral flow tests before going to school.

Helen Gollins, Acting Director of Public Health and Trafford Council, said: "Sadly our Covid-19 rate in Trafford is very high and it continues to rise. With these measures we hope to reduce the number of cases in schools so children can continue to attend lessons.

"I must thank our school staff for the excellent job they continue to do in such difficult circumstances and I hope parents will support these new measures as we try to reduce infections in the borough."