Dear Parents and Carers
As you will be aware the number of cases of COVID-19 in the local area is increasing, especially amongst the 12-18 age group and at Workington Academy we have now had multiple cases. In the week ending 17 September 2021, the 12-18 age group accounted for the greatest number of new cases (524) in Cumbria followed by the 5-11 (412) age group.
The local Public Health Team have now issued new advice and I am writing to share this with you.
Children and young people aged between the ages of 5 and 16 (unless exempt – see below), should now be advised to stay at home when a sibling tests positive for COVID-19 (via either a PCR or Lateral Flow test).
3-5 days following the onset of symptoms in the sibling who has tested positive (or test date if the positive case had no symptoms), the close contact child should get a PCR test. If this is negative, they can return to school, but should isolate again immediately and get another test if they develop symptoms of COVID-19 at a later date.
The groups exempt from this advice and able to continue to attend school when identified as a close contact of a sibling positive case are:
- 12-18 year-olds who have had at least one dose of the vaccine more than 14 days ago
- Any child aged between 5–16 who has tested positive for COVID-19 themselves via a PCR test within the past 90 days.
As you know the safety of our students, staff and the wider local community have always been a priority for us. With this in mind I would strongly advise all parents and carers to follow this new guidance.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact the school. Thank you in advance for your support and cooperation.
Yours faithfully
Des Bird
Headteacher
