Public health chiefs in Tameside are "strongly encouraging" staff, adults and secondary school pupils to continue wearing face coverings in indoor communal or crowded spaces until the February half term. 

The government's Plan B measures, which were introduced in December in a bid to control the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, have now been relaxed following the expiration of the legislation. 

It means there is no longer a legal requirement to wear face coverings in indoor settings. 

But locally, some guidance is remaining in place in secondary schools. 

Tameside Council has said that many schools in the borough are still seeing "significantly high levels" of Covid-related absences and "experiencing active outbreaks". 

Although the overall infection rate has fallen, Tameside currently has the highest rate of the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester. In the seven days up to 26 January, the rate was 855.9 cases per 100,000 people according to Public Health England data. 

But the council say rates among children and young people to increase and keeping schools open "as safely as possible" is "a continued priority". 

A spokesperson for the authority said: "In line with the national guidance, the local authority and schools in Tameside have continued to work effectively together to plan for and respond to cases of COVID-19 amongst staff and students in a way that prioritises the quality of education and support to which students and staff are entitled.

"Although overall case numbers have fallen in Tameside they are not yet low and have plateaued over the last week. Rates among children and young people continue to increase, many schools are seeing significantly high levels of covid-related absence and also experiencing challenges with staffing capacity as a result." 

The statement continued: "We are therefore strongly encouraging the continued use of face coverings for all staff and adults in schools and secondary pupils whilst in indoor communal or crowded spaces until February half term, and particularly where our Public Health Team is working with schools that have those high case rates. Many of our schools are experiencing active outbreaks and we will continue to support and agree measures as always to minimise transmission and disruption of learning. The public health team continue to monitor data on a daily basis.

"There are also a number of other measures schools have in place to reduce the risk of transmission and keep our children and young people safe, including; hand washing, making sure there’s an adequate supply of fresh air (ventilation) in enclosed areas, participating in regular testing, testing daily if a close contact of a confirmed case, self-isolating if required to, and taking up the offer of a vaccination or booster dose if eligible to. The continued priority across the borough is to keep our schools open as safely as possible for staff and learners." 

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