Two ‘probable’ cases of coronavirus at Perthshire school linked to confirmed case

Two “probable” cases of coronavirus  closely linked to a confirmed positive case, have been identified at St Madoes Primary School.

Contact tracing has been carried out, and parents of all pupils in Primary 3/4, and Primary 6 have been advised by the Public Health team that their child should self-isolate for 14 days until September 25.

The wider school community has been advised of the situation, though NHS Tayside says there is no evidence of transmission occurring in the school.

It remains open to the rest of the pupils and staff.

NHS Tayside Consultant in Public Health Medicine Dr Daniel Chandler said: “I would like to reassure parents that if you have not been contacted individually this means that your child has not been identified as a contact in the school, and they can continue to attend school and undertake other activities as normal.

“If you have other children at the school who are not in Primary 3/4 or Primary 6, they can attend class as normal and they do not need to self isolate.

“Similarly, other people in the household also do not have to self isolate.

“The IMT has carefully considered the situation at St Madoes Primary School and all appropriate measures have been taken.”

Perth and Kinross Lifelong Learning Committee Convener, Councillor Caroline Shiers added: “I know that hearing about cases and being asked to self-isolate can be unsettling.

“I’d like to reassure people that public health officials and education staff work closely together, looking at the individual circumstances of each case, and the advice is a necessary precaution.

“Our dedicated teachers will continue to provide excellent learning online while classes are isolated.”