Scottish school delays reopening after second teacher tests positive for Covid-19

Staff at the school continue to self-isolate as a precaution.

A school in Aberdeenshire has decided not to reopen after a second staff member tested positive for coronavirus.

Peterhead Central School was due to resume this week, but severe weather conditions forced it to remain closed.

A teacher then tested positive for Covid-19 which prompted an investigation led by NHS Grampian.

Peterhead Central School has remained closed after two staff members tested positive for Covid-19

A second teacher was found to have the virus and now several staff members are self-isolating as a precaution before the school reopens.

A spokesman from Abereenshire Council said a decision will be made today on whether or not Peterhead Central School will be able to resume next week.

He reassured parents and staff that no children were in the school at the time these two teachers tested positive for coronavirus, and the reopening has been delayed to protect the safety and wellbeing of staff and pupils.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman said: “A second case of COVID-19, connected with a primary school in Peterhead, has been detected. Our investigations are continuing and we are working closely with Aberdeenshire Council. They have delayed the reopening of the school in the meantime."​

Schools across the country have started returning this week after months of of being closed during lockdown.

Some local authorities have chosen a phased approach for children returning, for example with youngest children resuming classes first, or groups going back in alphabetical order to limit the crowds.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director