A senior councillor is calling on Dundee’s nursery and school communities to stick with the hygiene guidelines to help prevent coronavirus cases from making an impact on the festive break.
Stewart Hunter is urging pupils and their families, along with staff, to show extra vigilance against COVID-19 in the run up to the end of term so that everyone can enjoy a healthy Christmas holiday.
The children and families service convener said: “This term has been extremely difficult and I would like to thank everyone for the efforts they have made under extremely challenging circumstances.
“Christmas is close, but we are not there yet.
“So, I would urge all of our school, and nursery communities to show extra vigilance and stick with the guidance.
“This means that no one should come into nursery or school if they are suffering symptoms. A test should be booked immediately.
“Secondary pupils should continue to follow guidance on face coverings in and out of school.
“Families should follow face covering guidance when they are on school property, including playgrounds, and follow physical distancing guidelines.
“Car sharing should be avoided completely.
“I want us to reach the end of term and enjoy the holiday. But even then, we need to be very careful.”
Dundee City Council nurseries and schools will be closed for the originally-planned fortnight holiday from noon on Wednesday December 23. Lessons will resume on Thursday January 7, 2021.
Arrangements are being put in place which will involve officers from the council’s children and families service and NHS Tayside’s public health team should coronavirus contact tracing be needed into the holiday period for any nursery or school related cases.
The council's children and families service is constantly monitoring the situation regarding cases and absences at nurseries and schools across Dundee.
Schools and nurseries are also keeping families updated about developments.
Councillor Hunter added: “I am asking everyone to play their part so that we can all enjoy Christmas and continue to take care of each other.”
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
