Gracemount High School: Edinburgh school reports one pupil has tested positive for Covid-19

A pupil has tested positive for coronavirus in an Edinburgh secondary school.

Gracemount High School. Picture: Google

Parents and carers of children at Gracemount High School have been alerted after a pupil at the school tested positive for Covid-19.

Children who have been in direct contact with the pupil have been contacted by health authorities and told to stay at home for 14 days.

The school, which has over 600 students in the south-east of Edinburgh, remains open.

In a letter to parents sent out on Sunday evening, NHS Lothian’s Director of Public Health and Health Policy, Alison McCallum wrote:

"There has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 within the school.

“Children who have been in direct contact with the confirmed case have been contacted and will be staying at home for 14 days.

“The school remains open and if your child has not been contacted then they should continue to attend school if they remain well.”

The letter advises parents that the most common symptoms of coronavirus are:

− a new continuous cough and/or

− a high temperature and/or

− a loss of, or change in, taste or smell (anosmia).

The health board urges any parent with a child showing these symptoms to seek advice from NHS Inform.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh City Council said: “We are working with NHS Lothian’s Health Protection team and parents and the wider school community have been provided with information and reassurance.

"We know that this occurrence may cause concern to some parents and children but we will continue to monitor the situation and follow the advice provided.”

Yesterday, 208 new positive coronavirus cases have been confirmed across Scotland, with 18 new cases in the NHS Lothian Board area.

The figure was Scotland’s highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since May.

The surge came as Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government will launch its Protect Scotland app in the coming days to aid the fight against Covid-19.

But renewed demands for passenger testing in airports from the UK Labour party and the Scottish 
Conservatives were rejected by both the SNP Scottish Government and Conservative UK Government.

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