Unite reps in Edinburgh have ensured a 3.3% uplift for adult social care contracts & a Living Wage.
Unite Scotland has welcomed the move by the Edinburgh Joint Integration Board (EIJB) to allocate £6m funding for adult social care workers and personal assistants who work in the third and independent sectors.
Backdated to 1 April, social care support workers in Edinburgh will be awarded a real Living Wage of £9.30p/h, including sleepovers & hours worked by personal assistants.
The funding uplift was agreed on Monday at an EIJB meeting following extensive lobbying by Unite voluntary sector representatives in Edinburgh to ensure that adequate funding was allocated to deliver the 3.3% national uplift for adult social care contracts for the Living Wage commitment, announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Jeanne Freeman MSP on 12 April.
Mary Alexander, Scottish Deputy Secretary: “This is a victory for Social Care in Edinburgh. It rightly recognises the critical role workers have, looking after vulnerable adults in Edinburgh.
“”The decision to allocate £6m will now ensure all adult social care workers commissioned by the local authority to provide adult social care whether in care homes, care at home or community-based services will not be working for less than the Living Wage of £9.30 for all hours worked including sleepovers.
“It also rightly recognises the critical role social care workers have played in looking after vulnerable adults in Edinburgh. Unite will continue to campaign for a national care service and Fair Work across the whole sector.”
North Edinburgh Arts is delighted to be able to share ‘Writing the Times’, new work by Alice Musumba Purves, David Francis, David Pickering, Dawn Pearce, Ferdinand McKay, Mary Graham, Rhona Cameron, Sandra Newby, Sasha Noel, Tracey Anderson.
Stephanie Knight, who led theWriting the Times project, explained: “‘Writing the Times has been a six week project, with weekly Zoom meetings and continuous emails.
“During the Zoom meetings, we discussed other people’s writing that inspired us, we read our drafts, we considered frameworks, layout, quotes, prologues and epilogues, we discussed how our readers might respond to our writing.
“The project was open to participants and artists who have worked with North Edinburgh Arts Theatre project, and to Yoga Students at North Edinburgh Arts. People self-selected, and this publication demonstrates the commitment and dedication everyone has given to Writing the Times.
“This is published at the time when we would have been witnessing Edinburgh swing into full Festival flourish. Now we plan, reflect and then plan again for another time.”
A limited edition of print copies of Writing the Times will be available in the autumn, and the writers hope to record their stories in the NEA studio to share their work as spoken word – keep an eye on North Edinburgh Arts Facebook page for updates.
A mistake in a spreadsheet calculation set in motion a series of events that led to the delayed opening of the new £150m Sick Kids hospital, a new report has revealed.
The go-ahead for a new hospital at Little France, a replacement for the ageing Sick Childrens Hospital in Sciennes, was first agreed by NHS Lothian in 2005 but the project has seen a catalogue of delays and spiralling costs.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman, Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, said: ““It is absolutely staggering that this mistake has had such huge repercussions and was not picked up until after the new hospital had been built.
“This review is highlighting how ill equipped health boards are for undertaking projects the magnitude of a new hospital.
“SNP Ministers are ultimately responsible for what has been described as a ‘collective failure’ in the specifications of ventilators at the hospital.
“This fiasco has cost the tax payer enormous amounts of money, money which should have gone towards properly resourcing hospitals and improving treatment times.”
Pride Throwback Weekend from Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August
Pride events may have been cancelled across the country this year but Clyde 1 and Forth 1 are ensuring that the celebrations can still go on with a Pride Throwback Weekend across Scotland.
The event – sponsored by global law firm, CMS Scotland – will be held from Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August 2020 on Clyde 1 and Forth 1 and right across the Hits Radio Network in Scotland.
The event will also include Sunday Pride which will see Micky Gavin and Grant Thomson hosting a show on Sunday 30th Aug across the whole of the Hits Radio network in Scotland* from 12 noon to 4pm.
The show will feature iconic Pride artists including the likes of Lady Gaga, Years & Years, Kylie and Dua Lipa
Scottish listeners will also be asked to share their own Pride stories via WhatsApp on 07557 887113.
The popular presenters will also launch ‘Pride: Scotland’s March for Equality’, a series of three podcasts where they talk about their experiences growing up gay in Scotland, talk to some amazing people from the LGBT+ community, and learn about the history, and future, of Pride in Scotland.
A new LGBTQ+ dedicated station, Hits Radio Pride, is also launching on Friday 28th August 2020. The pop-up station will play a vibrant playlist of some of the biggest hits and throwbacks.
In partnership with The Co-operative Bank and working with LGBT+ helpline Switchboard, the new station will be a fresh and unique destination where the LGBTQ+ community, advocates and allies can feel connected, safe and empowered to be themselves
The station will initially be available in Scotland online, on mobile apps and on smart speakers.
Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director, Hits Radio Network in Scotland, said: “We have been a proud supporter of Pride for many years and remain committed to promoting diversity and inclusion.
“COVID-19 has obviously impacted on many of the planned events and we thought it was more important than ever that our listeners could celebrate Pride.
“We are planning Scotland’s biggest Pride party with our Throwback Weekend as well as the launch of Micky and Grant’s brilliant new podcast series.”
The Pride Throwback Weekend will be broadcast across Clyde 1, Forth 1 and the Hits Radio Network in Scotland from Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August 2020.
You can listen on FM, DAB, online, via the station Apps or on your Smart Speaker.
*The Hits Radio Network in Scotland includes Clyde 1, Forth 1, MFR, Northsound 1, TAY FM, Radio Borders & West FM.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing at St Andrew’s House yesterday (Tuesday 25 August):
Hello everybody and welcome to today’s update. I will start with the usual update on the COVID statistics. I can tell you that an additional 44 positive cases were confirmed yesterday which is 0.8% of people newly tested, and means that the total number of cases now 19,921.
The full health board breakdown will be available later, but my provisional information is that 7 of the 44 new cases are in Tayside, where of course, we are dealing with the cluster involving the Two Sisters food processing plant.
I can also confirm that a total of 243 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed COVID which five fewer than yesterday.
And one person is currently in intensive care and that’s the same as yesterday.
Again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who had tested positive in the previous 28 days for the virus. Which means that the number of deaths under that measurement is still 2,492.
This week’s more comprehensive figure, which includes deaths where COVID was either confirmed through a test or presumed will be published by National Records of Scotland tomorrow.
These figures obviously continue to be a stark reminder of the impact this COVID has had and again I want to express condolences to everybody who has been bereaved as a result of it.
And again today my thanks go to everyone who is working hard in a whole number of different ways across the country to help us through this difficult period.
There are three issues I want to cover today.Firstly, I’ll give just a bit more detail on the main clusters that we are dealing with right now.
In Aberdeen, there are 261 cases associated with the cluster linked to pubs in the city. That’s an increase of two since yesterday. But it’s worth noting that one of those cases had already been reported – but has only now been linked to the original cluster.
These figures generally point to the good progress that has been made, in containing this outbreak. And I’m very grateful to everyone in Aberdeen for their patience – and their compliance with the restrictions that have been in place.
In relation to the outbreak linked to the 2 Sisters plant in Coupar Angus, as of yesterday, there were 152 positive cases linked to it – 134 of those were workers of the factory, and 18 were contacts of those workers.
The process of contact tracing there continues. And so I would expect that we’ll see these numbers rise a bit more in the days to come.
Just to give you some context, over the past six days, the mobile testing unit, at the 2 Sisters plant itself, has tested more than 900 people – and other testing sites in Dundee, Forfar and Perth have, between them, tested more than 2,500 people.
And the bit I want to stress, although I would repeat that we’re not complacent about this, but at this stage there is still no evidence of wider community transmission from this outbreak and that of course is positive, given the scale of the outbreak that we have been dealing with.
I want to thank everyone who is involved in managing it. It’s a huge amount of work that is being done and let me thank also, employees at the factory – and their households – who of course are now self-isolating.
And let me stress how important it is that people in those households do self-isolate for the entire period advised and that is until Monday 31 August.
I can understand that there will be a temptation to nip out, maybe to go to a shop or to go to see other people, but please do not do that. Even if you have had a negative test in the last few days, it is still possible that you could still develop and spread the virus so please follow all of the guidance and stay at home.
It is because people are complying with that, that so far we are managing to avoid this outbreak seeping into the community. So please bear with it and stick with it so that we can continue with that success.
Finally, there are a number of cases not least in Lanarkshire, involving individuals who attend schools.
The health protection teams locally are dealing with all of these cases, where necessary they have and will continue to write to parents and carers of children in relevant classes, advising them that their children should self-isolate.
I want to stress in relation to all of these outbreaks that we’re dealing with just now, and indeed, the situation with schools, we are not unduly concerned by any of these situations right at this moment.
That said, we are not complacent either. As you will appreciate, we will continue to monitor, all cases, clusters and outbreaks very very closely indeed.
The second issue I want to talk about today concerns some issues that people have been over the last day or so in booking tests, through the UK-wide booking system.
Over the weekend, there was a major spike in demand for testing, not just in Scotland, but we think across the UK, and that led to some constraints on the booking portal, throughout the day yesterday. And that in turn resulted in a surge of calls to our COVID-19 helpline.
I know this will have been frustrating for people trying to book a test. I want to thank you all for bearing with us, as we’ve worked to address these issues and I want to just run through some of the work that is being done to do just that.
Now some of what I would describe as technical issues, for example, people in Scotland being offered tests in centres outside Scotland are being resolved – that shouldn’t be happening.
Where any technical issues do arise, as unfortunately with a system of this scale and complexity might sometimes do, we will endeavour to have those sorted as quickly as possible.
On the issue of capacity though, which is the more significant issue, we’ve always known that there will be fluctuations in demand for testing. That’s why we have contingency plans in place and these contingency plans are already, as we speak, being activated.
For example, over the course of this week, we will be deploying three additional mobile testing units, across the central belt of Scotland. The first of these will be operational in Glasgow today, this afternoon, and the other two will be operational later this week. In total, they will increase capacity by around 1,200-1,500 tests every day.
We are also, over the course of this week, further increasing the number of tests that can be carried out at the regional testing centres, across the country and we are also utilizing additional NHS testing capacity. For example, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be activating drive-through facilities to help manage demand in their local area.
In the more medium term, but already this is work that has been in progress, we are also establishing eleven local walk-through testing centres. The first of these will be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. And together, they will help to increase sampling capacity by more than 3,000 tests a day.
So we will continue to implement these plans to further increase capacity as we head into winter, as we have always been preparing to do.
But we will also continue work to sure appropriate contingencies are in place for periods when we have higher than expected demand for testing – which is likely to happen as we go into winter but, at any point, if there perhaps is another virus circulating, a cold that is leading, perhaps in particular, to children having symptoms similar to COVID then we know we will see these spikes in demand and that’s why we need to have these contingencies in place to deal with them.
But let me take this opportunity, just to remind everyone, that you should only book a test, either for yourself or for a family member, if you or they do have one of the COVID symptoms; a new persistent cough, a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell.
The exceptions to that general position of only booking a test if you have symptoms are firstly if you are advised to do by Test and Protect, sometimes Test and Protect will advise people, who have been contacts of confirmed cases but who don’t have symptoms, to go for a test.
And secondly, if you work in a profession with agreed access to testing, for example, staff working in schools, but otherwise, only book a test if you have one of the symptoms that we often and regularly remind you of.
Now the third issue I want to cover today is the use of face coverings in schools.
As I said yesterday, our scientific advisory group has been looking closely at this issue – particularly in light of the new World Health Organisation guidance, which was published at the weekend.
As a result of that work, the advisory group has recommended changes to our current guidance in Scotland. Their recommendations are based on the latest scientific evidence – as well as the real-life experiences of schools, since they reopened a number of days ago. And the Scottish Government – in consultation with the Education Recovery Group – has now agreed the changes proposed.
It’s possibly worth just reminding people of what the current guidance says before I set out what the changes to that are. In general, the current guidance advises that face coverings in the classroom are not necessary. However, it says that staff should wear them, if they can’t physically distance, and are having face-to-face interaction with pupils for more than around 15 minutes.
The guidance also currently emphasises that staff and pupils should be supported to wear face coverings, if they wish to do so. That advice remains unchanged.
However, the new guidance will now include two additional situations where face coverings should be worn.
Firstly, as I indicated yesterday, adults and pupils in secondary schools should wear face coverings when they are moving around school in areas where distancing is challenging – for example, through corridors or in communal spaces.
And secondly, adults and children aged 5 and over should wear face coverings on dedicated school transport. That of course simply now mirrors the situation on public transport more generally.
Now in both of these situations, there is a greater potential for different groups to mix. There is more chance of voices being raised – resulting in the creation of aerosols. And of course, there is less scope for distancing and effective ventilation. So we believe that face coverings could provide an additional layer of protection, in mitigating these factors.
The guidance will also now emphasise how face coverings can be used to address specific issues – for example, where there is a concern about a particular school, or where there is an outbreak or greater transmission in a particular area.
All of these changes will apply from next Monday – 31 August. Before then, schools will be expected to provide pupils with clear instructions on the use of face coverings.
We expect that most children and young people will have access to face coverings already as part of their daily lives. However, we will work with local authorities, to ensure that schools also have supplies – so that no child is disadvantaged.
There are of course people for whom wearing a face covering is not appropriate – which is why there are already exemptions in place for individuals with breathing difficulties or certain disabilities when it comes to wearing a covering in places like supermarkets.
So there will also be young people for whom it is not appropriate to wear a face covering in school and schools will of course discuss that with pupils and parents. But let me be clear that nobody should be stigmatised in a school because they cannot, for one of those reasons, wear a face covering.
We hope that these changes provide some additional assurance to pupils, staff, and parents. We know it’s not easy, none of what we ‘re all having to live with right now, generally or in schools, is easy but it is all about trying to minimise the risk of transmission. And we will of course continue to keep the guidance under review.
I want to emphasise though, and this applies not just in schools but applies more generally, face coverings are just one additional layer of protection. They are not a substitute for the other things we’re asking people to do. All of the other safety measures –good hand hygiene, regular cleaning, and where possible in schools, physical distancing – remain vitally important.
Of course, that applies not just to people in schools, but to all of us. So to close today, I want to quickly remind everyone – again – of the key public health guidance.
We know indoor transmission is a risk, we’ve always known that, and we see the evidence of that coming through our data right now, so can I take the opportunity to remind everybody that when you are indoors, no more than eight people from a maximum of three households should be meeting up. That applies whenever you are in somebody’s house, or in a pub, a bar or a restaurant.
You should – at all times – physically distance from members of other households. And remember to wash your hands and hard surfaces.
All of this, if we all follow these rules, minimises our chances of getting the virus and it also minimises the risk of us passing the virus on to others.
And as I said yesterday, and it’s worth everybody bearing this in mind, as Test and Protect operates around the country, if you follow all of these rules, particularly around physical distancing, you are less likely to be a contact, a close contact, of someone with COVID. So you are less likely to get that call from Test and Protect advising you to self-isolate for 14 days.
Let me absolutely bring my remarks to a close now by just reminding everybody of the FACTS rules – the five golden rules that everybody must follow to try to keep this virus under control:
Face coverings in enclosed spaces
Avoid crowded places
Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly
Two metre distancing remains the overall rule
and self-isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Public Health team has made an appeal, following a rapid rise in requests for Covid-19 tests.
The following advice is good for people living in other NHS Scotland areas too, including NHS Lothian.
Since schools went back recently there has been a sharp spike in testing requests, particularly from parents concerned for their children.
Dr Linda de Caestecker said: “In order to ensure we do everything we can to prevent a rise in cases, we need to remind people how the testing system works.
“Firstly, only people who are symptomatic need a test unless you are explicitly asked to get a test by public health as part of the management of an outbreak.
“The symptoms are the onset of a persistent cough, or a temperature/fever or a loss of taste or smell. You only need one of these to be tested. This can be done by calling 0800 028 2816 or visiting the NHS Inform website – www.nhsinform.scot. You do not need to call NHS 24 to organise a test.
“I also want to stress that while family members need to self-isolate if someone in their household develops symptoms, they do not need to be tested unless they themselves go on to develop symptoms.
“If you are contacted by Test and Protect to tell you that you are a close contact of somebody with Covid-19, you do not require a test but you must isolate for 14 days. A test will not change the need to self-isolate.
“Another important point is if you do develop Covid symptoms and are ill and are worried about your health, you should call NHS 24 on 111. Please do not call NHS 24 unless you feel you need medical advice to deal with your illness.
“I want to thanks everyone for their continued patience with the system. We all need to work together as we enter this next phase in the fight against the virus.”
Please note you should only call 0800 028 2816 to book a test if you do not have access to the internet.
First of 11 planned walk-through sites set up
People who suspect they may have coronavirus (COVID-19) will be able to receive a test at a walk-through testing centre.
The clinically-approved and risk-assessed model means people can access testing in semi-permanent centres, both indoor and outdoor, just days after a site has been agreed.
Work has begun to set up the first of eleven sites planned to be up and running before winter.
Appointments will be available through NHS Inform to students and the wider community for the first of these, to be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. Testing is expected to commence at this site in the coming days.
Consideration of location of the further 10 sites which will be easily accessible by bike, wheel or foot is underway including in the Highlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Containing and suppressing this virus relies on testing being accessible to everyone. These walk through testing centres will further increase Scotland’s testing capacity ahead of potential spikes as we move into winter.
“They can be operational in a matter of days, and we are working at pace with NHS National Services Scotland and local authorities to roll out more across the country so that more people have access to local testing.
“We will continue to adapt our testing strategy in line with the different stages of the pandemic. However, testing is only one effective intervention that we are using to manage the virus and it remains vital that people continue to follow physical distancing advice and practise good hand and cough hygiene not just for their own safety but in order to protect others.”
NHS Fife Deputy Director of Public Health Dr Esther Curnock said: “The new walk-in testing site in St Andrews is an important resource for the local population and will play a vital role in helping to limit the spread of the virus in north-east Fife.
“With the prevalence of COVID-19 now much lower than it was at its peak, it is easy to think that the virus in no longer a risk to our health, however, that is far from the case.
“It is crucial, therefore, that people arrange to be tested as soon as any symptoms develop, such as a new continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in the sense smell or taste, and isolate immediately rather than waiting on the result of their test.”
Professor Sally Mapstone, Principal of the University of St Andrews, said: “We’ve been in discussions for some time with the Scottish Government and NHS Fife about local testing facilities, and this is a positive and prudent development.
“The new testing centre will support the many steps the University is taking to keep our staff, students and local community safe, including our own Covid Rapid Response Service which will support quarantining and contact tracing, and monitor adherence to public health guidelines.”
Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr David Alexander said: “We are delighted to have been involved in getting one of Scotland’s first walk-in test centres up and running in St Andrews.
“With a high student population, a huge turnover of tourists and a centre of hospitality, St Andrews seemed to be an obvious choice for a test centre like this.”
Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr. David Ross added: “These facilities are accessible for everyone in the area and will provide an invaluable resource in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in our communities.”
With lockdown restrictions becoming increasingly relaxed and people getting used to the ‘new normal’ PHIL DAY, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, offers some tips on boosting your immune system.
Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U comments:“With peoples’ lives getting back to this ‘new’ normal, people are understandably cautious about crowded areas, with the risk of catching the virus still very much apparent.
“However, there are some key things you can do to boost your immune system, making your body more likely to fight off viruses:
Get enough sleep – poor quality sleep is linked with a higher susceptibility to lots of illnesses; adequate rest strengthens your natural immunity. Adults should aim for 8 hours of sleep per night, with teenagers needing an hour more.
Find ways to reduce stress – when you are stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol to prepare you for “fight or flight”. But over time, excessive levels of cortisol will lead to an increase in inflammation in the body, which in turn impairs your immune system, reducing its ability to fight infections.
Ensure you’re getting enough vitamin D – vitamin D is vital for healthy bones, teeth and muscles thanks to its ability to influence the amount of calcium in our bodies. A lack of vitamin D could lead to complications with the immune system, which could worsen the effects of the virus if you do get sick. Most of our vitamin D comes from our diet, and exposure to the sun during the warmer months. However, there are other sources of vitamin D. Supplements containing vitamin D are widely available from your local or online pharmacy, or supermarket.
Eat more fruit and veg – fresh fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins and antioxidants, which are essential for keeping your immune system as healthy as possible. Get your 5 a day!
Take moderate exercise – this can reduce inflammation in the body and promotes the healthy turnover of immune cells, as well as boosting the effectiveness of vaccines in people with compromised immune systems. Exercises such as jogging, cycling and swimming are excellent for this – even a daily walk is really good for you.”
Two Edinburgh children’s charities have received £4,000 in donations from Amazon’s Development Centre in the city.
Amazon Development Centre Scotland donated £2,000 to Canongate Youth and £2,000 to The Yard.
The donations were made as part of the ‘Amazon in the Community’ programme, whereby the company supports the communities around its operating locations across the UK.
Canongate Youth supports children across Edinburgh and the Lothians, offering youth clubs, support services, advice and counselling. Amazon Development Centre Scotland has supported the charity since 2014.
The Yard is an organisation that creates safe play areas for disabled children and their siblings, giving them the chance to experience creative, adventurous indoor and outdoor play in a well-supported environment.
The charity plans to use the money to support more disabled children and families with online videos for early years, play ideas and relaxation, and work towards bringing more people back into the playground in line with current guidance.
Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “We are pleased to offer these donations to such brilliant charities. We hope the support will help both charities continue their important work with the children of our community.”
Amazon’s Tich Kent with Anna Robinson (left) partnership manager and Danielle Campbell play team leader.NOTE picture was pre-COVID
Jenny MacDonald, Director of Development at The Yard, added: “We are very grateful for this donation from the Amazon team and for their support of our mission to ensure every child has the right to safe and fun play. We would like to say a big thank you to Amazon for its kind support.”
Amazon’s Development Centre in Scotland is responsible for innovations used around the world by the company, including machine learning to power Amazon’s smart features like personalised recommendations and intelligent advertising.
Community donations is one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Amazon is providing disadvantaged students with online STEM courses as well as teaming up with charity partner Magic Breakfast and delivering three quarters of a million healthy breakfasts to families around the UK.
For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click here.
Streaming-induced arguments on the rise as Scots feel content fatigue
Lack-lustre lockdown entertainment is leading to arguments with friends & family, new research has found.
ODEON Cinemas found that over a quarter (26 per cent) of the nation has argued about what to watch during 2020 and on average Scots have a stream-induced argument TWICE a week.
Choosing what to watch isn’t the only screen-screamer, with 60 per cent of Scots also getting annoyed when others in the household ‘double-screen’ (watching TV and being on a mobile phone, laptop or tablet at the same time).
Elsewhere, entertainment- starved Scots also spend 102 hours – the equivalent of 4 days a year – searching for shows to watch. It’s no surprise then that 68 per cent admit to feeling content fatigue, ‘bored’ of streaming sites which have been their ‘go to’ for much of the year.
ODEON is hoping the release of Tenet (26 August) will fill the entertainment void & help the 28 per cent of the nation looking to ‘escape the everyday’ in the darkness of the cinema.
Carol Welch, Managing Director UK & IRE said “At home entertainment has played a huge part in our lives this year but after spending hours making do with a small screen, we’re looking forward to welcoming guests back to the real deal.
“Those who are tired of big cat kings or double screening can rest assured they can escape to the big screen and immersive entertainment at ODEON.”
Brits no longer have to waste hours ‘remote con-scrolling’ as film fans can get back to ODEON – the home of entertainment – by booking tickets at https://www.odeon.co.uk/
A Granton Primary School pupil has tested positive for COVID-19, it has been confirmed.
The information was revealed to councillors at a full council meeting this morning.
Local North and Leith MSP Ben Macpherson said: “I am in touch with the Head Teacher and the Council, and will continue to monitor this situation.
“The Council have said that they are working closely with NHS Lothian’s Health Protection Team to provide parents and the wider school community with information and reassurance.”
Dr Duncan McCormick, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, NHS Lothian and Chair of the Incident Management Team (IMT), said: “NHS Lothian is investigating after a child at Granton Primary School in Edinburgh tested positive for COVID-19. The pupil is self-isolating at home with their family.
“A multi-disciplinary Incident Management Team (IMT) has been established to assess the situation and decide any next steps required.
“Enhanced cleaning measures are in place in schools in line with national guidance. The Health Protection Team has traced close contacts of the case.
“Following a robust risk assessment by the expert group, the school will remain open and pupils should continue to attend as normal. Appropriate advice has been provided and anyone who came into close contact with the case has been told to self-isolate for 14 days. The situation will continue to be closely monitored.
“For anyone else, the risk to their health is extremely low, but they should continue to be vigilant and aware of the symptoms.
“If you experience a high fever, persistent cough or loss of taste or smell, you must self isolate and book a test via the national COVID-19 helpline on 0800 028 2816 or go to www.nhsinform.scot”.
