A local secondary school has confirmed that all students in Sixth Year will be Covid tested following an outbreak reported earlier this week.
The positive cases among the students at the school are being linked directly to an outbreak of Covid in the wider Drumshambo area in the last week.
The Vocational School in the town has issued an updated press release following confirmation on Monday that four students in sixth year had contracted the virus.
As a result, all fifth and sixth years are engaged in online learning, and principal Martin Fallon has confirmed that that following a risk assessment by Public Health Officers, it was decided, as a precautionary measure to send all of our Sixth Year students for Covid Tests.
He has also confirmed that they cannot return to school until it is deemed safe for them to do so after a second negative test result.
The HSE has advised that there is no public health concern relating to any other year group in the school and no other students have reported positive Covid tests.
Parents are also being advised that that if their son or daughter exhibits any Covid symptoms, they should self-isolate and should contact their GP. We continue to follow all necessary precautions to prevent spread of the infection in the school.
The principal has also confirmed that the four students who initially tested positive are "recovering well."
The statement in full is below:
April 20th 2021
Dear Parent(s) / Guardian(s),
This is an update on the letter posted here yesterday. As you are aware there has been an
outbreak of Covid infection in our sixth year group emanating from an outbreak in the
community.
The HSE has advised that there are four confirmed cased of Covid-19 among our Sixth Year group. Following a risk assessment by Public Health Officers, it was decided, as a precautionary measure to send all of our Sixth Year students for Covid Tests.
All of these students are being contacted by the contact tracers and they cannot return to school until it is
deemed safe for them to do so after a second negative test result.
HSE have further advised that there is no public health concern relating to any other year group
in the school.
We currently have no reports of any Covid cases among any other class. Except for the Sixth Years, and siblings of those Sixth Years with a positive result, all other students can therefore attend school as normal.
As has been the case since the start of the school year, the advice remains, that if your son or daughter exhibits any Covid symptoms, they should self isolate and you should contact your GP.
We continue to follow all necessary precautions to prevent spread of the infection in the school.
Further useful information may be obtained from the HSE web-site, or on the HSE freephone
number : 1850241850.
On a positive note, I am pleased to hear that the four positive cases among our Sixth Years are
recovering well.
Yours faithfully,
Martin Fallon
