Nicola Sturgeon covid update live as cases continue to rise across Scotland

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Teacher shortage is possible after a rise in cases

Ministers have warned that teacher shortages could lead to pupils being sent home from school if COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Seamus Cerson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, said coronavirus mitigations – such as staff and pupils wearing face coverings in secondary schools – must continue to avoid such a situation.

The Scottish government has said the face mask requirement will be in place for “at least six weeks” into the new term, but Education Minister Shirley Ann Somerville has previously said the rule would be dropped earlier if possible.

But with coronavirus cases on the rise since schools returned, Cerson suggested that mitigation measures may have to stay in place “for much longer.”

He also said ministers need to consider vaccinating 12-15-year-olds against the virus, while schools should keep other measures in place such as intermittent start times.

He discussed issues affecting schools on Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland on Friday, after the Head of Education for Highland Council, John Finlayson, said the rising Covid cases were “having an impact on service delivery”.

“I think we will see distance learning, even at this time, where there are situations where schools are struggling with staff, where there are a lot of pupils at home,” Finlayson said.

Asked if there was a risk that Scotland’s schools could face a teacher shortage, Cerson said: “Absolutely.

“The teachers will contract Covid and therefore they will be missing and that will be a problem because the children will be sent home because the teacher is not there.

“That’s why I think the mitigation measures will probably continue for some time, because if the numbers continue to rise, I think the government has no choice but to go beyond the six weeks that they talked about first and put the mitigation measures in place for a much longer period.”

He added that teachers were “extremely concerned” about rising levels of Covid.

“The numbers were expected to rise but it is very important that all the existing mitigations continue, people need to remind themselves that the pandemic is not over and schools should try as much as possible to not only follow the guidance of the government but go a little further as well.”

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