October 23, 2020 5.14 pm This story is over 40 months old

Half-term warning as schools get “fire break” from COVID

84 with COVID infections as we go into half-term

Schools could get a “fire break” over the half-term holiday, but health bosses in Lincolnshire are warning families to be careful during Halloween and Bonfire celebrations.

Lincolnshire County Council said on October 22 that it is working with 84 schools with COVID-19 infections. It is also working with eight nurseries.

The assistant director of public health Tony McGinty said the time was an opportunity to “reset”, and called on families to take care during the time off to ensure their children could go back to school afterwards.

“If we can do that, it will I think give a little bit of a fire break for schools that have had cases.

“There is an opportunity for those numbers to be lower than they were when we left the school.”

However, he said he was not looking to be a “killjoy”, just to ensure that families and children took the proper precautions.

“We want people to enjoy their break but it’d be really helpful, as parents, to just keep their children and themselves safe whilst they’re doing that.

“Bonfire parties, Halloween parties, there’s a whole load of things coming up — the children are off, they’re going to be playing more, maybe being in each other’s houses a bit more.

“It would be a real shame if they weren’t able to maintain some of those safety measures and we end up with more ill children, who then can’t go to school.”

If you are thinking of going to a bonfire or trick or treating, Mr McGinty offered some bits of advice.

  • Incorporate a face covering into your outfit. This could be a thick scarf over your mouth, or a scare mask which will act similar to the day-to-day wear.
  • If the child can be encouraged not to touch their faces then consider gloves as part of the outfit to protect them as they come into contact with other people.
  • If not then bare hands are ok but try to use hand sanitiser between household visits or treats
  • Maintain the two metre social distancing if at a bonfire event outside