Covid-19: Masks in schools as Hull cases rise at twice rate of England & Yorks

TAKING ACTION: The Guildhall, home of Hull City Council. Picture by Tom Arran

Face coverings are being required to be worn in Hull’s schools for the first time as the city tries to fight off an alarming rise in coronavirus cases.

Latest figures show that while the overall number of cases in Hull are comparatively low, they are rising at twice the rate of national and regional infections.

According to the city council, as of Wednesday the latest seven-day rate of confirmed cases in Hull was 15.3 per 100,000 of the population. That figure compared with a rate of 32.2 per 100,000 in England, and 44.6 per 100,000 across Yorkshire and the Humber.

This represents a near fourfold weekly increase in Hull, while regional and national rates doubled.

The figures for the previous seven days were 4.2 per 100,000 of the population in Hull, 15.6 per 100,000 in England, and 22 per 100,000 in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Secondary school pupils and staff will be expected to where face coverings in “certain situations” from next week in response to the “rising” number of coronavirus cases, the city council said.

From Monday, September 21, secondary school staff, visitors, and pupils will be expected to wear face coverings in indoor communal spaces where two-metre distancing is “challenging”, not including in classrooms or when eating or drinking.

Primary school staff and visitors will also wear be expected to wear face coverings in indoor communal spaces, such as staff rooms, where two-metre distancing is difficult. This again is with the exception of classrooms and when eating and drinking; although the requirement may not apply in all specialist settings.

Helen Christmas, public health lead for children and young people, said: “Whilst the number of people with coronavirus in Hull remains much lower than the national and regional averages, we are now seeing a rise, and therefore taking this action to help prevent spread of the virus in schools.

“Face coverings reduce the likelihood of the wearer transmitting the virus to others, if they have it. They are particularly useful when moving around a building where two metre distancing is difficult to maintain and people are mixing outside of their normal groups.”

Face coverings remain a requirement on public transport for people aged 11 and over, and are recommended on home to school transport for secondary age students.

Some staff and students will be exempt from wearing face coverings due to medical conditions, or where a face covering would cause “extreme distress”. A medical certificate is not needed to prove this.

Students are also being reminded to social distance outside of school and follow the “rule of six” – where social gatherings should not include more than six people.

A temporary dedicated text service has been established to address any questions or concerns from parents or carers which cannot be answered by a child’s school. Text CovidEdPublic to: 07795 563 000, followed by the question.