Coronavirus: Dundee school closed after eight adults test positive
- Published
Many of the youngsters at Kingspark have additional physical disabilities or medical problems
A school in Dundee for pupils with additional support needs has been closed after eight adults connected to it tested positive for coronavirus.
Dundee City Council and NHS Tayside said the move to shut down Kingspark School was a "precautionary measure".
The school will not open on Thursday and Friday while a deep clean is carried out.
Kingspark has about 185 pupils, aged between five and 18, and all have additional support needs.
Many of the youngsters also have additional physical disabilities or medical problems.
Dr Ellie Hothersall, consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS Tayside, said: "We would like to reassure parents that we are taking this measure as a precaution due to the varied needs of the pupils who attend the school."
A decision is yet to be taken on whether the school will reopen on Monday.
Paul Clancy, Dundee City Council's executive director of Children and Families Services, said the challenges faced by the school's pupils meant "safety had to be paramount."
'Other mitigations'
He said: "There are robust hygiene measures and other mitigations in place throughout Kingspark School. However, given the vulnerabilities and complex needs of the pupils, we cannot take any risks.
"This has been a difficult decision to reach, but it is one I hope that families can understand and appreciate."
It comes as an entire class of primary pupils and their teacher have been asked to self-isolate after a case of coronavirus.
Contact tracers are working to identify close contacts at St Albert's Primary School in Pollokshields on the south side of Glasgow.
A council spokeswoman said "control measures are in place at the school, and there is currently no evidence of transmission within the school itself".
Contact tracers are identifying contacts at the school in Pollokshields
The number of pupils and staff asked to self-isolate has not been confirmed.
Elsewhere, a fourth pupil at a school in Coatbridge tested positive for coronavirus.
The student from St Ambrose High had already been identified as a contact and is part of a cluster in North Lanarkshire and North East Glasgow.
In Perth and Kinross, two primary pupils - one at Newhill Primary in Blairgowrie and another at Oakbank Primary in Perth - have been confirmed as having the virus.
In Renfrewshire a pupil at Todholm Primary in Paisley has tested positive and contact tracing is taking place at Wallace Primary in Elderslie after a positive test.
