Aberdeenshire



Staff bulletin: Tuesday, March 9, 2021Changes to guidance on socialising, sports and worship announcedMore people will be able to socialise outdoors from the end of this week following good progress in suppressing Covid-19, it has been confirmed.Increased flexibility for young people aged from 12 to 17 will also take effect this week, and there are plans to reopen places of worship later in the month. The changes will take effect as follows: From Friday, March 12:Up to four adults from two households will be able to meet locally in any outdoor space, including private gardens, for social and recreational purposes, as well as exerciseVisitors should only go indoors if it is essential in order to reach a back garden, or to go to the toilet – socialising indoors is not permittedOutdoor non-contact sports and group exercise can resume for adults in groups of up to 15 peopleYoung people aged 12 to 17 will be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to four people from four different households, participate in outdoor non-contact sports and other organised activities in groups of up to 15 people, and travel across local authority boundaries to participate in such activitiesFrom Friday, March 26 (subject to confirmation on Tue, Mar 23)Places of worship will reopen, with attendance limits increased from 20 to 50 where there is space for social distancing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "The changes announced today, while modest, are important, and are designed to help people’s health and well-being by enabling group exercise and allowing more social interaction. They will also let children see more of their friends, and exercise and play more normally."With continued progress, we believe the reopening of places of worship can be achieved relatively safely, and will hopefully enable more people to draw strength, comfort and inspiration from acts of collective worship.”She added: "We all have a part to play in keeping case numbers down while the vaccinators do their work, children get back to school and we all take tentative but firm steps back to life as we once knew it, so please continue to stay within the rules and follow the FACTS advice."A firmer indicative timetable for reopening the economy – including shops, hospitality, hairdressers, gyms, and parts of the tourism sector – is due to be set out next week. Vaccine rollout updateAlmost 40% of the adult population in Scotland have now received their first dose of the vaccine, and the average test positivity rate is now just above 3%.The vaccination programme is currently working through priority groups 6 and 7, which includes 60-64-year-olds, unpaid carers, and people with a particular underlying health condition.Unpaid carers who are not registered with the Scottish Social Services Council will be able to self-register for vaccination from next Monday (Mar 15).Appointments are now to be scheduled for people in groups 8 and 9, covering people who are 55 to 59 years old, and those who are 50 to 54 years old.The target remains to offer first doses to everyone over 50, all unpaid carers and all adults with an underlying health condition by mid-April. Plans to mark anniversary of lockdownThe Scottish Government plans to mark the first anniversary of lockdown in Scotland on Tuesday, March 23, with a national silence. Discussions are also taking place around how to support communities to develop their own commemorative activities over the coming year as part of longer-term plans for remembrance. Further details will be set out over the next fortnight. Returning to school in Aberdeenshire: the logisticsPlanning for the return to face-to-face schooling next week continues in Education and Children’s Services.The arrangements announced last week will see a full return to primary schools from Monday (Mar 15), further to a final checkpoint this week (11 March) to ensure continued progress is being made across the country with regards to tackling the virus.The situation in secondary schools is more complex, where 2m physical distancing will be required among all senior pupils up to the Easter holidays. For school transport, 1m physical distance among pupils will be a requirement. At some schools around 20% of those attending use school transport, whereas for others as many as 80% of pupils arrive by school bus. In the run up to Monday, each school is developing plans for the period until the end of term on Thursday, April 1. These will be shared with parents and carers. Families have been asked for their understanding in terms of the following key points: Each school will decide on the number of pupils who can be in school each day based on available accommodation, staffing availability, transport availability and other constraintsEach school will have flexibility to deliver what is best for their learners based on the 2m physical distancing requirementSome schools will have an imbalance in numbers across different year groups, which will exacerbate the timetabling challenges they faceMore staff will now be needed in school settings and, as such, will not necessarily be available to support remote learning. Schools will do everything they can to continue supporting remote learning, including signposting to nationally-developed materials.The service will work with schools to augment in-school learning with an appropriate outdoor learning and health and wellbeing package to support learner wellbeing where staffing and facilities are availableThe recommendation is that face coverings are worn at all times by both staff and pupils in secondary schools, as well as on all school transport.Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has agreed to extend asymptomatic testing in secondary schools to include S1 to S3 pupils as soon as possible, in line with the planned increase to in-person learning following the Easter holidays. Director of Education and Children’s Services Laurence Findlay said: “I would like to reassure all parents and carers, some of whom are colleagues, that schools and the service are putting in place measures to make sure that the return to school is managed as safely and stress free as possible, and this is being done in line with Scottish Government and NHS guidance. “I would encourage any young person, parent or carer who has a query or a concern to contact their school in the first instance. There is also a wealth of online resources available providing information and support.” More information and support, including details of the technical guidance schools will follow, is available on the Scottish Government’s website: Coronavirus in Scotland - gov.scot (.scot) Information and assistance for anyone affected by coronavirus in Grampian is available on the Grampian Assistance Centre website (.uk)Coronavirus (COVID-19): compliance self-assessment tool Council services must be aware of all relevant guidance to ensure that workplaces provide a safe environment, so that workers are protected against significant harm.The Scottish Government has produced a ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): compliance self-assessment tool’ which provides relevant persons with a working document to assess the steps they take to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This tool will assist in the risk assessment process and highlight gaps/reinforce compliance measures services are implementing.ENDS ................
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