Secondary school pupils and staff in Suffolk have been told to wear face coverings from next month in an attempt to slow the wave of infections sweeping through classrooms.
Suffolk County Council said students in secondary and higher education and staff should wear masks in communal areas outside of classrooms unless medically exempt.
And only essential visitors should be allowed inside school buildings and they must wear face coverings while on-site — including parents collecting their children in the play ground.
The measures — which have not been rolled out a national level — should be imposed from November 1 and will be reviewed two weeks later, the council said.
Last month, the Suffolk health chiefs introduced a 'sibling policy' advising children and young people aged four to 18 to stay at home if their brother or sister tests positive.
It comes as hundreds of schools across England are taking Covid-control measures into their own hands, by reintroducing face masks, cancelling assemblies and introducing their own isolation policies.
Official estimates suggest nearly one in 10 secondary school pupils in England are carrying Covid.
Education bosses have blamed a slow vaccine rollout in children for the rising rates, with just 3 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds jabbed against Covid so far in the areas that are lagging most behind.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid this week revealed children will be able to book their vaccines online next week as part of a half-term jabbing blitz to get more youngsters protected.
But many parents are reluctant to get their child inoculated because the risk/benefit ratio is more finely balanced than in adults.
Suffolk County Council said students in secondary and higher education and staff should wear masks in communal areas outside of classrooms unless medically exempt
A record 111,000 pupils missed school last week because they tested positive for Covid, official figures revealed today. The number of
