Public Health England (PHE) confirmed on Tuesday that a local resident has contracted COVID-19 coronavirus, bringing the number of cases in London to 91 in the same week the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a pandemic.
The news comes days after the parent of a pupil at Yerbury Primary School in Archway tested positive for the virus this week, although it has not been confirmed whether this is the same case.
The parent has now gone into self-isolation, but the individual diagnosed has reportedly not visited the school for over a month, so there are no further concerns about contact with pupils.
A number of other schools have also been affected, with a male connected to the Central Foundation Boys’ School remaining in self-isolation after returning from a ski trip to Lombardy in February.
As of Tuesday, the school said that he is yet to receive the results of the test, while the rest of the trip have already tested negative and returned to school.
Meanwhile, a member of staff at the City of London Academy Highgate Hill, in the north of Islington, is in self-isolation after coming into contact with an individual who was later told to quarantine themselves.
The school told Islington Now: “The member of staff has been sent home and told to self-isolate as a precaution, but they have not been diagnosed with the virus.”
They added: “We’re currently taking advice from the government on how to prevent the spread of the virus, and we will see how this develops.”
This news comes amid panic buying leaving Islington pharmacies with shortages while Islington schools remain on high alert about the pandemic.
Islington is so far faring better than its surrounding boroughs for confirmed cases of the virus. To the east, Camden currently has five confirmed cases of the virus, while Hackney and the City of London have three cases between them. Haringey has one case.
PHE has issued a series of guidelines for members of the public to reduce their risk of contracting the coronavirus.
Individuals should wash their hands more often than usual, using soap and hot water, for at least 20 seconds. The mouth and nose should be covered with a tissue, or failing that a sleeve, when coughing or sneezing, before washing hands afterwards. Finally, regularly touched objects and surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected regularly to lower the risk of transmitting the virus via these surfaces.
Anyone who has been in contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus, or who has recently returned from high risk areas such as China or Italy and has symptoms including a cough, difficulty breathing or fever, is advised to stay at home and contact the NHS 111 service by phone or online.
More advice can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
