FACE MASKS are being advised for all secondary school pupils in the borough from now until half term.
A Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson said there are an increasing number of outbreaks in schools across the area.
They said: “We are now advising all secondary schools to temporarily re-instate the wearing of face coverings for students and staff, when in communal areas and classrooms.
“A letter is being sent to schools shortly so they can let the parent community know.”
Cllr Charles Margetts, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services at the borough council, said some of the issue lies with the Newbury Showground and Mereoak Park & Ride PCR testing sites.
It meant residents were told they had tested negative for Covid-19 in error.
“As a result, since early September a proportion of residents have not isolated when infectious … which has contributed to an increase in transmission within the borough,” he said.
“The cases are predominantly impacting school-age children and their families.
“Our Children’s Services Taskforce has taken a proactive approach; working closely with schools, identifying outbreaks early and encouraging testing across settings.
“Our teams are going above and beyond to support schools during this stressful time, and are in daily contact with headteachers by phone, email and virtual meetings, providing advice, guidance and important information to share with parents, carers and guardians.”
The council spokesperson said the guidance would be in place until the October half term break, and in line with actions in West Berkshire Council.
They added: “We will be working closely with schools to review additional Covid measures that may be implemented if local cases remain high after the half-term break.”
