Walsall schools urged to reintroduce Covid-19 bubbles

The council alerted parents and carers to the new guidance last week

Walsall schools are being urged to reintroduce bubbles in classrooms due to a rise in Covid-19 cases.

The guidance, from Stephen Gunther, the borough's director of public health, comes amid a gradual weekly increase in numbers during the past month.

Latest figures have Walsall recording a 10% rise in its infection rate.

James Ludlow, principal of Joseph Leckie Academy, says he supports the move as the virus is prevalent among children.

But parent Sophie Marie-Bennett said the measure would be undermined by pupils mixing outside school.

"Walking into and walking out of the school, there's no bubbles," she said.

"Bubbles only take place on school property, so it kind of doesn't really make sense - they're mixing on the bus, mixing at the paper shop, they're mixing just before they're stepping into the school gates."

According to latest figures for the seven days up to 12 October, the borough had 1,220 new Covid cases, with a rate of 425.5 infections per 100,000 people - a 10% rise on the previous seven-day period.

Wellingborough in Northamptonshire has the highest case rate in the UK - 814.2 per 100,000 people.