La Linea reports Campo’s first school Covid-19 case

by Maria Jesus Corrales

Fourth year pupils at the La Linea primary school Pedro Simon Abril have had to self-isolate for 14 days after a classmate tested positive for Covid-19.

This is the first school in the Campo area where the health protocol was activated after parents informed the school that their child had tested positive for coronavirus.

And although schools across Andalusia have kept pupils in social bubbles of no more than six pupils each, the Andalusian health authority recommended that the whole year group went into quarantine.

Health authorities said Cocid-19 tests will only be carried out on those pupils who have been in close contact with the child.

The students will be able to return to their classroom if they do not show any Covid-like symptoms over the next 14 days.

The Education Delegation of the Junta will report on the number of confirmed Covid cases among school pupils, with figures broken down by provinces.

Dr Rosa Perez, the Head for the Department of Health for La Linea, told the Chronicle that the town council is waiting for rapid tests to arrive from the Andalusian Health Services.

The tests can provide results in 15 minutes which will “help reduce the worry for parents waiting for test results”.

But Dr Perez described the challenges ahead for schools.

“Not all the children who have a fever or a cough will test positive for coronavirus,” she said.

“We have to keep in mind all the other regular illnesses that children of that age will have.”

She urged parents to maintain their calm when faced with possible scenarios where children could test positive for Covid-19.

The case in the Pedro Simon Abril Public School is the first confirmed Covid-19 case in a school located within the Campo since the academic year began on September 10.

La Linea mayor, Juan Franco, and education councillor, Sebastian Hidalgo, yesterday contacted the school’s headteacher, Pilar Rengifo, to find out further details about the positive Covid-19 case in the Pedro Simon Abril Public School.

They were told the child went to the hospital’s emergency unit for another ailment and it was there when the Covid test was carried out, giving a positive reading for the infection.

The father of the child informed all those who had been in close contact, including the school, led to the Covid-19 protocol being put into place.

This includes notifying everyone involved and the families of those pupils through the iPasen platform which was approved by the school council last week.

The child had only spent a few hours in the school and wore a mask throughout their time there, so the risk of spread is believed to be very low. He is said to by asymptomatic and is recovering at home.

But the school asked children from that year group to self-isolate for a period of 14 days just in case.

Mr Hidalgo praised the school and the parents of the child for their “exemplary behaviour”, and for working together in order to protect the school community.

He reiterated the importance of adhering to hygiene rules, ensuring masks are worn and social distancing is maintained to avoid the spread of the virus.