Covid: Gwynedd school urges pupils to get tested as cases rise

Head teacher Bethan Emyr says she hopes that masks will only have to be worn as a temporary measure until cases fall

Pupils at a Gwynedd school are being urged to take Covid tests after a surge in cases.

The head teacher of Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn, in Bala, has written to parents after a "high" number of cases were confirmed in the school.

All secondary school aged pupils will also have to wear a mask in class from Monday.

It comes as Covid case rates in Gwynedd hit record levels.

Figures show 865 positive Covid-19 cases were reported in the county last week.

That brought the county's incidence rate up to 694.4 per 100,000, the highest since the pandemic began.

That compares to 498 per 100,000 in Wales as a whole.

The school's call follows Gwynedd council asking residents to take precautions as the county recorded the highest Covid-19 incidence rates in Wales.

Bala was among the worst affected along with Caernarfon and the Ffestiniog area.

Ysgol Godre'r Berwyn head teacher, Bethan Emyr, urged pupils to get Covid tested

Head teacher Bethan Emyr warned parents in an email that Covid case rates were "high in the school at the moment".

She reminded them of Public Health Wales' advice that those aged five to 18 should take a PCR test as soon as possible, and a second in six days; minimise contact with others and crowds; use lateral flow tests daily for a week and avoid visiting vulnerable people.

The school also asked pupils to upload proof of a positive test to the school website.

• What are the rules for schools in Wales?

• Covid in Wales: What do the stats tell us?

• Covid doctor's moving letter to 'cracked not broken' NHS

Ms Emyr added: "All secondary learners will be expected to wear a mask in the corridor and in lessons from Monday.

"We hope this is a temporary measure, until the Covid cases decrease in school."

The chairman of Gwynedd's Covid prevention group, Dafydd Wyn Williams, said: "We are gravely concerned about the steep rise in cases across Gwynedd, and in the Caernarfon, Ffestiniog and Bala (Penllyn) areas in particular.

"The incident rate is extremely high in these communities and we are urging people who live and work in these areas to take extra caution.

"Covid figures in Gwynedd are at their highest since the pandemic began, and it appears that the number of cases is likely to rise in the coming days."

Gwynedd council said testing was available in Bangor, Caernarfon, Tremadog and Pwllheli in Gwynedd, as well as in Corwen, in Denbighshire, and Machynlleth, in Powys.