HEALTH Minister Vaughan Gething said it was to be expected that pupils and staff would need to self-isolate after schools in Wales returned at the beginning of this month.

Mr Gething was asked last week whether he had any concerns over the number of cases in schools since pupils returned, but the minister said the number of year groups and classes self-isolating was what the Welsh Government had expected.

In Gwent, almost 40 schools have recorded positive cases, including 19 in Caerphilly alone.

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"We always would’ve expected that when schools returned there would be some people who would test positive, either amongst the student population or the staff group," he said.

"It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that we see larger challenges in areas where we are needing to take these measures, because school staff are likely to be affected in the same way that other adults are too.

"It’s interesting but very clear that, not just here in Wales, but in Scotland too they have learnt that infections among school staff tend to come from staff interacting with each other or other adults outside the school.

"It isn’t the case where those staff are put in to a uniquely difficult place where they are likely to get Covid from their students. It is actually adult-to-adult contact that is still the biggest factor and the biggest concern.

"I expect there will be further school class groups that may need to isolate as people will test positive as we go through the autumn and the winter.

"We still have very high attendance rates within our schools and lots of students are back in school and receiving education and enjoying it just as my son is, and that’s really, really important.

"It makes a big difference to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing to be back in a school context, it means they have opportunities later in life that we know a significant school closure would actually intervene and move backwards.

"There are good reasons for us to maintain school opening."

Mr Gething was also asked if he had any advice for students who will be heading to university this month.

"It’s about thinking about the nature of the contacts you have, in particular indoor contacts, and to try to make sure you see a consistent and reduced number of people," he said. "Now that’s really difficult for university students.

"I remember going to university myself, through freshers and other times meeting lots of people. It's part of the experience you get at university, not just the learning.

"We are asking people to behave in a way which isn’t normal for a large group of typically younger adults, but there is a real point of seriousness here, because younger adults can still suffer harm from Covid-19."