A PUPIL has tested positive for Covid-19 since returning to school.

The Nelson Thomlinson School, in Wigton, has confirmed the Year 9 pupil tested positive for coronavirus having only been in school for one day on the first week.

Headteacher Sam Northwood explained: “We can confirm that a Year 9 pupil has tested positive for Covid-19.

“The child was only in for one day in the first week of our school opening and has since been at home; this obviously limited the number of close contacts.

“We implemented our well-planned procedure rapidly as soon as the positive result was confirmed, a procedure that complies with LA and PHE recommendations.

“Close contacts were informed immediately and the relevant pupils withdrawn from lessons and sent home; I should stress at this point the need to respect the affected families’ right to anonymity in instances such as these.

“ No member of staff was deemed to be a close contact of the child in question and the school continues to run as normal, albeit with the full range of mitigating measures in place.”

Only one pupil at the school has tested positive with 10 being asked to self-isolate.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council said: “There are 316 schools in Cumbria, attended by over 66,000 pupils.

“Currently six schools are responding to Covid-19 incidents, with a total of five confirmed positive cases.

“In some cases this has required ‘bubbles’ to self-isolate, in others only a smaller number have been required to self-isolate because the positive case only had a limited number of close contacts.

“The overall situation in schools is being monitored closely by a dedicated multi-agency Education Outbreak Management Team led by the county’s Public Health team.

“Parents and carers should ensure they are aware of what to do if their child shows symptoms of Covid-19, a simple quick guide is available at cumbria.gov.uk/stopthespread.”

In the week to September 4, nearly 7,000 people were tested across the county, but reports have been received that some people have been unable book a test at a local centre.

The county’s public health team, along with local and national partners, are working to increase both the number of public test centres and the overall number of tests available each day.

All details for testing can be found on the NHS website.