Primary school prepares to reopen on Wednesday after deep clean in wake of coronavirus fears

St Cuthbert’s RC Primary in Seaham said over the weekend it would not be opening up for classes today, Monday, March 16, following the concerns.

It has now issued an update, which said the Mill Road school would remain shut on Tuesday, March 17, while a professional firm carries out a deep clean of its carpets, books and surfaces, with systems in place to ensure it continues to disinfect each day and reduce the use of equipment passed around by pupils.

It plans to reopen to pupils on Wednesday, March 18.

There are still no confirmed cases and families connected to the school who are concerned about the illness are self-isolating.

It says its action to clean the school goes “above and beyond” what is required, with advice being taken from Durham County Council and updates issued by Public Health England.

Its staff have been preparing and clearing surfaces and cleaning staff are ensuring small items, such as toys and equipment, are thoroughly disinfected, to help the cleaning company.

A statement from the school added: “Our action plan moving forward is to ensure that we are limiting the equipment accessible to pupils, that school staff disinfect at appropriate points throughout the day e.g. with PE equipment and that all staff have additional duties for cleaning.

“We will be using recommended products following advice from the Local Authority.

“This will eliminate the need for further professional deep cleans.

“We have cancelled all assemblies, masses, visitors to school and sporting events for the remainder of term to ensure we are best-protecting pupils.”

It has added a host of requests, including that water bottles are taken home daily rather than being left in class, as should packed lunches and asked any volunteers who planned to come in to help with reading or to help a class stay away for the rest of term.

It also issued a reminder that if anyone in a family is showing symptoms to follow NHS guidelines and contact school via the telephone/email if out of hours or school is closed.