Northern Ireland

Almost 50 pupils testing positive for Covid prompts school closure

Craigavon Senior High School in Portadown has closed following an outbreak of Covid-19. Picture by Mal McCann
Craigavon Senior High School in Portadown has closed following an outbreak of Covid-19. Picture by Mal McCann Craigavon Senior High School in Portadown has closed following an outbreak of Covid-19. Picture by Mal McCann

A SCHOOL has been praised for acting swiftly to send pupils home after a Covid-19 outbreak affected almost 50 young people.

Craigavon Senior High School's (CSHS) Portadown campus has closed temporarily.

Pupils will learn remotely for two weeks.

Staff and students were tested voluntarily over the weekend by the Public Health Agency (PHA).

It is understood 48 young people tested positive in the space of four days.

The school has been disrupted by numerous outbreaks in recent weeks.

Parents were told of a case on November 4, just days after the school reopened after the extended Halloween holiday.

The PHA was notified of a separate case on October 29. There was another outbreak reported on October 23 involving several people.

At that time, the PHA said it was satisfied that the actions taken meant the ongoing risk of further cases had been reduced.

Principal Ruth Harkness said the decision to close followed a cluster of confirmed cases within the school community.

"Following testing, a number of positive cases have been identified and these individuals are required to self-isolate for 10 days," she said.

"All close contacts of positive cases will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.

"Due to the complexity of this situation and following PHA advice, the school, in conjunction with the Education Authority has decided to make a temporary move to remote learning. This will allow teaching of pupils to continue in a safe environment."

Children across the north returned to classrooms full-time in September after prolonged closures during lockdown.

Already, hundreds of schools have been affected by fresh cases. Some have sent home full classes or entire year groups while others have closed.

The north is one of the only regions in Europe to have had a second prolonged period of closure, when all schools shut for two weeks over Halloween.

The most recent statistics show there have 2,420 positive cases in schools since late August.

Upper Bann SDLP MLA Dolores Kelly welcomed the decision to move CSHS pupils to remote learning.

"The substantial outbreak is a cause for concern for staff, students and their parents. Thanks to the swift action of school leaders, we're seeing a robust plan being implemented quickly that will ensure as little disruption as possible to learning as well as a commitment to keeping the school community safe," she said.

"I understand that principal Ruth Harkness has been working throughout the weekend alongside school leaders and health authorities to identify students at risk of contact with the virus and to put a remote learning scheme in place for all those at the Portadown campus. They are to be commended for their hard work in difficult circumstances.

"This again underlines that young people are not immune to this virus and all of our school communities must remain vigilant to the threat. It also highlights how effectively our teachers and pupils are responding to the threat."