Covid in Wales: Face masks not required in school classrooms from September

From September face coverings will no longer be routinely recommended in classrooms, the Welsh government has announced.

Current guidance says masks should be worn by secondary pupils if social distancing cannot be maintained.

Face masks have not been required in schools in England since 17 May.

Wales' education minister announced the change in a letter to headteachers as well as further plans to "bring some normality back to education".

Jeremy Miles said contact groups would no longer be required for school and college pupils, and the normal school timetable would return.

He said the test, trace and protect (TTP) system would be applied instead.

Mr Miles added that the changes were possible as, by the end of September, all adults in Wales will have been offered both vaccinations and a "growing body of evidence" showed young people were "more at harm from missing school than from Covid".

"Lots of young people I have spoken to have said that they don't believe the current system is proportionate. They just want to be treated the same as everyone else - and that sounds fair to me," he said.

A Local Covid-19 Infection Control Decision Framework will be published at the start of the autumn term.

The Welsh government has said the framework will enable schools and colleges to tailor some interventions to reflect the level of risk identified locally.

It said they would be supported by public health officials and local authorities to ensure measures are appropriate to their circumstances.

But the Welsh Conservatives education spokesperson Laura Anne Jones said: "I remain concerned that the Welsh Labour government's much maligned Covid-19 Infection Control Decision Framework will not be ready until the start of the autumn term.

"Schools need more clarity about their level of responsibility as soon as possible and this important detail must be expedited by Labour ministers."

In Scotland all secondary pupils have been wearing face coverings in school corridors and classrooms but the Scottish government is looking at the role of masks in general society after 9 August, when many restrictions will be lifted.