The number of pupils missing school in a single day because of Covid-19 has declined by almost 800 in Tayside and Fife.
Official statistics from the Scottish Government show there were 2,774 virus related absences across Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross on December 1, compared to 3,568 on November 24.
Pupils were self-isolating in the majority of cases, but the data also includes those who have been diagnosed or parents choosing to keep their children at home.
Despite the decline in absences, several schools have recorded new cases, including an outbreak at an additional needs school in Fife.
New cases
There are now three cases connected with Calaiswood School in Dunfermline, which supports pupils with additional support needs.
There have also been four cases at Levenmouth Academy since Friday, as NHS Fife confirmed another person linked with the secondary school had tested positive.
Single cases have also been confirmed at the following Fife schools:
- Nursery at Pitcoudie Primary School, Glenrothes
- East Wemyss Primary School, Dunfermline
- Lynburn Primary School, Dunfermline
Additional COVID-19 cases are being investigated at the following schools since the last update on Wednesday:
🔵Nursery at Pitcoudie Primary School
🔵Calaiswood School
🔵East Wemyss Primary School
🔵Lynburn Primary School
🔵Levenmouth Academy📲https://t.co/1dNmMVmMw2 pic.twitter.com/IPbMmdqv15
— NHS Fife (@nhsfife) December 3, 2020
NHS Fife said: “Where there is more than one confirmed case, this does not necessarily suggest transmission within the school and may related to a sibling or household group, or it may be separate incidences of community-acquired infection.”
On Wednesday, an S1 pupil at Baldragon Academy in Dundee tested positive for the virus.
Regional breakdown
Fife was most affected by the virus as 1,654 pupils missed school on Tuesday, however it is a significant reduction from the previous week where there were more than 2,000 absences.
The government data shows postcode area KY11, which includes Dunfermline, had 334 absences, followed by KY2 with 264.
In Angus, there were 293 pupils off school, including 67 in postcode area DD11 and 66 in DD5.
In neighbouring Dundee, 140 pupils in DD2 and 114 in DD4 were off school, compared to 344 across the city as a whole.
Meanwhile, 483 pupils missed school in Perth and Kinross because of the virus.
Postcode area PH1, which covers the city centre and outlying areas, was hardest hit with 162 pupils absent and in KY11, which includes Kinross and Milnathort, there were 120.
The number of children absent because of coronavirus related sickness has also remained low among pupils, despite the new cases.
The data shows five positive cases in postcode area DD8 on December 1, and six each in Dundee’s DD2 and DD4.
In Fife, KY6 had nine pupils off school with the virus and six in KY1 and there were six cases in PH1 of Perth and Kinross.
