Covid: Isle of Man high school pupil tests positive

Seven members of staff from St Ninian's High School are in isolation

A student at an Isle of Man high school has tested positive for Covid-19, the island's government has confirmed.

Seven teachers from St Ninian's High School in Douglas were already isolating after one of them tested positive for the virus over the weekend.

Six of the group were close contacts of another member of staff.

The government said the student had tested positive on Monday and contact tracing was under way.

Head teacher Chris Coole will be contacting parents and the situation will be kept under review, it added.

A government spokesman said the the school would remain open with "additional mitigation measures in place".

Face masks have been made available to staff and pupils and ventilation has been increased for indoor activities.

However, "interaction with other schools has been suspended" for at least a week, the spokesman said.

Extra supplies of lateral flow tests were also available to families who wanted them.

The teacher was one of three new cases recorded on the island on Sunday.

Six of the isolating teachers have since tested negative but remain in quarantine as a precaution.

There are currently a total of 11 active cases but it is now unclear how many are the result of community transmission.

The emergence of cases in the community prompted the government to urge people to be vigilant.

The teachers' self-isolation came as the the island's border restrictions were relaxed to allow fully vaccinated people from the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands to visit without testing or isolation.