THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST, 2020

JOINT STATEMENT FROM NHS TAYSIDE AND DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL

20-08-20 Kingspark School Update

There are now eight identified cases of COVID-19 in adults connected to Kingspark School in Dundee.

The school remains closed for the time being while deep cleaning is carried out as a precautionary measure.

NHS Tayside, the city council and partners are continuing to work closely to investigate the cases and investigations are ongoing.

Dr Ellie Hothersall, Consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS Tayside, said, “We would like to reassure parents that we are continuing to work closely with our council colleagues. All staff and identified close contacts of positive cases have been advised to self-isolate and are being offered testing.”

Paul Clancy, Dundee City Council Executive Director of Children and Families Services, said, “The city council and NHS Tayside continue to work together on thorough investigations. All staff can get access to testing. We will advise families as soon as we can about when Kingspark will reopen. Keeping pupils and staff save is our paramount concern."

COVID-19 cases in schools

Many precautions have been taken in Tayside schools to limit the areas pupils access and the people they have contact with. This limits the spread of the virus and means that, if a positive case of COVID-19 is identified in a school, Public Health teams can confidently identify who has been in contact with that person.

Parents/carers of children who have been in direct contact with a confirmed case will receive a letter from Public Health and/or a telephone call from ‘Test & Protect’ asking them to stay home for 14 days. The 14 days will start from the last exposure, which is likely to be before the confirmed case was tested.

If your child is asked to stay home because they have been in contact with a confirmed case at school, other household members do not need to self-isolate providing all household members are well. Siblings can continue to attend school if they have not been identified as a close contact and no one in the household is unwell.

If you have not been contacted by Public Health then your child can continue to attend school providing they and the rest of the household are well.

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID-19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school.  You should arrange for your child to be tested and all household members should stay at home during this time. 

Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and further information on testing can be found on NHS Inform   

If the test is positive your child should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. All other household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days.

Returning from a country that’s on the quarantine list

If your child has returned from a country that is on the quarantine list, please do not send them to school until they have completed the 14 days quarantine period. 

Further information is available at:

https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19
https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/

Contact: NHS Tayside Communications (01382) 424138