Parents in Dundee are calling for clarity over ‘confusing’ self-isolation rules in schools, where siblings and classmates do not always have to all stay at home.
Some parents in the city believe the rules should be taken one step further and whole schools shut down when positive cases of Covid-19 are detected, instead of individual groups.
With the highest rate of infection per 100,000 people, there were 842 pupils and school staff members in Dundee in self-isolation in the week ending June 8, latest figures show.
When positive cases are reported, Dundee City Council workers and the school involved work together with NHS Tayside to identify close contacts.
A spokeswoman for the health body stated that contact tracing is done on an individual basis and is dependent on the circumstances – that is, who the person has been in close contact with.
She clarified that only close contacts of a positive case are asked to self-isolate, household members of contacts are generally not required to self-isolate as they are contacts of contacts.
‘Confusing’
However, some parents in the city say the rules are “confusing” and “just don’t make sense”.
Mum-of-two Claire Davidson, 37, from Downfield, said: “Thankfully it hasn’t happened to us; we haven’t had to isolate.
“But I just find it bizarre that you can have a kid in, say, a P1 class who is isolating and they come home and pass it on to your other kids in other classes and then it’s going back into the school.
“I get that they have to catch up with their education because they’ve missed so much but we’re going round in circles – if one class has to isolate, they should shut the whole school.”
But Mary O’Connor, Dundee rep for the National Parent Forum of Scotland, believes schools are doing “everything they can to follow guidance”.
Mum-of-four, Mary, 49, from Ardler, said: “Public Health Scotland has the guidance for a good reason, they are the health experts and the schools are doing everything they can to follow it.
“We’ve been on the receiving end of self-isolation and it’s fine. If that’s what we have to do to break the chain of transmission then that’s what we do.
“Schools are working really hard to break that transmission. It’s complicated and it’s confusing but it is the guidance.”
Mary added that she understands parents’ confusion over the rules and hopes the summer break will provide an opportunity for clarity.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “City schools work closely with colleagues in NHS Tayside and national procedures are followed to determine which pupils or staff should self-isolate.
“With the assistance of public health, we ensure that the appropriate measures are being taken.
“Schools and nurseries communicate directly with families in their community about issues like this.”
A joint decision
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “Contact tracing for people who test positive for Covid-19 is undertaken by Test and Protect on an individual basis to find out who has been a close contact of a case during their infectious period.
“In the case of school pupils or staff this is carried out in collaboration with the school and local authority education services, following national contact tracing guidance.
“Sometimes further information becomes available, which may mean more people are required to self-isolate or isolation dates may be altered slightly.”
She added: “We would like to remind everyone that if they are identified as a close contact of a positive case they should self-isolate, even if they have no symptoms or test negative.
“This is because they are still at risk of developing Covid-19 and a negative result does not rule out the possibility of people becoming symptomatic and infectious later.”
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