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The Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordination Group (OLECG) has thanked people across the county for their response to the pandemic and urged that measures to slow the spread of infection continue to be followed.

The group involves representatives from a broad range of organisations, including the emergency and public services, transport providers, the utilities and voluntary sector, and met this week to consider latest developments in the pandemic

There were 45 children at St Andrews School today out of a school roll of 209.

At an incident meeting this afternoon with representatives from Public Health, the Council’s Education Directorate, Schools, Environmental Health, Safety and Resilience, Sport and Leisure and Community Learning and Development, the decision was made to maintain closure of the P4 class in the meantime.

For the second year running, Christmas will come early for many of Orkney’s most vulnerable families with a cash direct payment totalling £260 for every child entitled to free school meals.

A wealth of housing related information has been published in the Council’s Housing Services latest newsletter “Housing News”.

Some of the topics include the new development at Carness, the Housing Services Annual Report, the reintroduction of sheltered housing coffee mornings, rent arrears and what to do, tips around damp and condensation and a host of others.

Classes affected include P2, P4, P5, P6 and P7. A further 11 pupils are awaiting PCR test results.

There has also been a small rise in the number of positive Lateral Flow Test results, and we would stress the importance of everyone logging their lateral flow test results online whether negative or positive. This will allow Public Health to begin contact tracing straight away.

Friday saw the culmination of the ‘16 Days of Activisim’ campaign which has been promoted here in Orkney by ORSAS and Orkney Womens Aid. 

The campaign is run anually which calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. As a member of the Orkney Domestic Abuse Forum, Orkney Alcohol & Drugs Partnership recognises the vital importance of such campaigns and promoting the message here in Orkney that violence against women and girls is completely unacceptable. 

Young Enterprise Orkney has been helping equip students with additional entrepreneurial skills for years.

The voluntary group has restarted following a two-year gap and is looking for volunteers from the business community to share their expertise by joining the local area team.

The P4 class at St Andrews Primary School will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, while the results of a number of PCR tests are awaited, and a clearer picture is known of the potential spread of the virus.

The class was shut on Monday as a precautionary measure following concerns about a rising number of positive Lateral Flow Tests. The numbers reported to the school differ from those logged online and this has, once again, highlighted the need for everyone to ensure they register their LFT results online – whether negative or positive. This will allow Public Health to begin contact tracing straight away.

The family of a young cancer warrior – Jamie Butcher (6) - have been overwhelmed by the generosity of folk in Orkney and elsewhere helping to raise money for the family and a cancer charity, Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly Clic Sargent).

They want to thank you all for the donations to their appeals, but also for the messages of support, offers of help, which is undoubtedly playing a part in carrying them through what can only be described as a nightmare since Jamie’s malignant brain tumour diagnosis in October.

Community leaders from across Orkney have issued a plea to local folk to double down on their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 – and warned that it’s likely more restrictions will come into force in the coming week.