Three college students at Cardinal Newman have now tested positive for coronavirus in an outbreak linked to a house party in Hangleton.
The year 13 student who parents were informed of yesterday plus one more student went to the party last Friday and a third student who has also tested positive had close contact with one of them.
Head Claire Jarman wrote to parents this afternoon to inform them and to reassure them that the transmission had happened outside college.
She also told parents of year seven to 11 pupils that the college students are in a separate building and don’t mix with the younger pupils at all.
And she said in-school contacts had been informed and told to self-isolate, and that the relevant classrooms will be deep cleaned.
She said: “It was brought to our attention that a house party was held in Hangleton on Friday, 4 September before the start of the college term
“Two young people in the college have now tested positive since attending this party.
“I informed you of the first case earlier this week and we were informed this morning of a second.
“As the second case was not in contact with the first case in the college, we can assume that the party was the source of the transmission”
“The second young person was asymptomatic but having been alerted by the first went for a test, which we heard this morning was positive.
“We have since heard of a third positive test, not at the party but from close direct contact with the second.
“I share this information with you to demonstrate how quickly and unknowingly young people in particular, with their complex social networks, can spread this disease.
“Clearly we have no control over what young people do outside of the college setting, all we can do is continue to take precautionary measures in classroom situations and impress upon young people the importance of social distancing, good hygiene and wearing masks properly.”
Very concerning. I have two nieces at King’s school in Hove and apparently there is no social distancing in force there at all. The corridors are jam packed and hardly any of the kids are wearing masks.
That’s not true! They are definitely following the government guidelines with regards to the corridors and masks are NOT compulsory.
I think you are correct that masks are not compulsory. But that doesn’t excuse the chaos in the corridors. I’m sure that it is very difficult to control the flow of that may kids in the corridors so the teachers have my sympathy. But it needs policing as even if the kids are largely unaffected by the virus they can spread it to the rest of community.
The parents who let their children hold/attend that party should be FINED for negligence & endangering the public. There should be the chance of kids being expelled for such foolish & irresponsible behaviour impacting the school & other pupils in it. Its that serious.
The refusal to adapt to the self discipline needed in order to keep the country open, jobs from disappearing (with the incomes to provide homes) is mind bendingly kamikaze.
SNAP OUT IF THAT DENIAL STUPOR: its suicidal….
This is why covid 19 will only carry on spreading because teenagers and young adults are deciding to do house party’s, clubs and pubs in current crisis. Shut the schools back down and clubs and pubs! I know takes it away from everyone else but it seems people are just being careless.
It’s weird how these stories are so emotive now.
In this case, a house party was held in Hangleton – was it a birthday party or just a meeting up of friends?
How many were there? Does that matter?
Presumably they gathered, like the rest of us, at a time when they thought the virus spread was at a low.
If one Covid 19-infected person attended, then, in that closed/indoor and sociable environment, the virus could easily transmit. Is that anyone’s fault? – Not really, if the rules at the time allowed that gathering.
As of Monday September 14th, only 6 people can meet indoors. Will the virus still transmit? Yes it will, but hopefully – or sadly – between a maximum of five others. If the R number is over 1 then five new infections soon result in a lot of others.
And we now know that Covid19 has not gone away.
We should not be pointing the finger at teenagers wanting to behave ‘normally’. Young people get scapegoated when actually we are all guilty of getting complacent and in wanting to get back to normal social behaviour.
It’s difficult to see how we could go back into a second lock down, given that national unity has now gone.
And that’s the real problem we face now. Fifty percent of us remain sh*t-scared of Covid19, whereas the other fifty percent don’t give a sh*t.