Further cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at a school in Herefordshire.
An email sent to parents at Whitecross Hereford High School said:
Dear Parents and Guardians
I am writing to you with the news that this week we have had three students return a positive result from a Lateral Flow Test taken at home. Whilst home testing is not completely reliable, we have to treat them as confirmed cases. The three cases are in different year groups: Year 7, 9 and 10.
This means that we have unfortunately had to send a number of students home to self-isolate for ten days as a precaution. Thankfully we have been able to limit the numbers affected to only those who have been close contacts. I have spoken at length to the Department for Education and the local health protection team who both confirm that we are following the guidance to schools correctly and that we have appropriate measures in place. They do not believe there is any link between the three cases but we are monitoring this carefully.
We have worked tirelessly to create a safe environment for your children and to do all we can to reduce the risk of transmission. With more adults now vaccinated and lower numbers of cases nationally, the risks associated with catching Covid may be reduced but we cannot be complacent. It therefore seems sensible to return to the wearing of face masks as a further precaution at least until the half term break. From tomorrow we will be asking all students to wear face masks indoors and for all staff to do the same where social distancing cannot be maintained.
