Secondary school pupils and teachers in Bromley have been advised to continue to wear face masks after several cases of the Indian Covid variant were detected.
Despite a national easing of the rules on face coverings in schools, parents in Bromley have been sent a letter from health chiefs saying that precautions should continue to be taken “until further notice”.
A total of 58 cases of the Indian strain have been detected in Bromley, making it the eighth-worst affected borough in London, Public Health England(PHE) said on Thursday.
It is not known how many of the 991 cases in London have been detected in schools or among schoolchildren.
PHE figures show that all cases of Covid have increased in London in the 10-14 age group since face-to-face teaching resumed on March 8, but have fallen in the 15-19 age group.
Schools in Ealing, Hillingdon, Brent, Harrow and Hounslow are being targeted, as well as pupils’ families in a surge testing, as public health chiefs rush to detect cases before the half-term holiday starts.