Face coverings reintroduced in Cwm Taf Morgannwg secondary schools

Secondary schools in Cwm Taf Morgannwg are reintroducing face coverings until half term as a precautionary measure.

The decision has been made due to high case rates in young people, with the highest rates of transmission being seen in those aged 11-15.

Face coverings will offer extra protection from infection to students, and will be used alongside existing control measures such as regular bi-weekly lateral flow testing.

Additionally, vaccination is being offered to all 12 to 15 year olds in Wales this month. This is expected to lead to a significant reduction in the case rate in this age group.

The decision to reintroduce face coverings was made by the Regional COVID-19 Incident Management Team, which is chaired by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and manages the pandemic response in the CTM area.

Angela Jones, Deputy Director of Public Health at Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB and chair of the Regional COVID-19 Incident Management Team, said:

“Reintroducing face masks in secondary schools is a precautionary measure designed to offer extra protection from infection to our young people.

“This month we’re rolling out the offer of vaccination to everyone aged 12-15 in our Health Board. We’re expecting to see a real fall in the case rate as that offer is taken up, but this measure provides additional resilience until then.

“We’d like to stress that this measure is temporary, and will be reviewed at the beginning of half-term.

“In order to reduce infection rates and disruption to education as much as possible, please keep your child home from school and take them for a PCR test if they develop Covid symptoms. You can book a test by calling 119 or visiting gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.”

The change will take place immediately, and so will apply to schools from Monday, October 4.