Secondary school pupils and staff and primary school staff are once again being advised by Trafford Council to wear face masks after a 37% increase in Covid-19 cases in a week.
The rate has surged in Trafford to 618.1 cases per 100,000 people (for the week to October 3rd), almost double the national average and the worst out of 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester.
The increase is being driven by a rise in infections in school children, with a total of 29 outbreaks in schools in the borough.
In response, Trafford has this evening issued new advice in a bid to reverse the trend.
Secondary school pupils, secondary school staff and primary school staff are now being advised to wear face coverings when moving around school.
Parents dropping off and picking up children at schools are also being asked to wear face coverings.
Additionally, pupils and staff in Trafford who live in the same household as someone with coronavirus are now being asked to do daily lateral flow tests before going to school, and should contine daily testing for 10 days.
Since August, double vaccinated adults and all children have not been required to self-isolate if they are a close contact of someone who has Covid.
Helen Gollins, Acting Director of Public Health at 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.”
