A SMALL rise in Covid-19 cases has prompted Slough Borough Council to urge parents not to be ‘complacent’ as lockdown eases.

Last week, all students started back at school – but now the council is asking parents to continue to play their part in keeping the town’s children and schools safe by continuing to follow the guidance.

The current covid rate per 100,000 of the population is 98.3 whereas last week it was 80.2.

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Councillor Natasa Pantelic, lead member for health and wellbeing, said since schools reopened, the borough has seen a small increase in numbers and has urged parents not to send their children to school if they have Covid-19 symptoms.

She said: “It’s great to see all children going back to school full time, happy to see their friends and learning together. I know it’s a big relief for parents as home schooling has been very challenging for many families.

“But we still need to do all we can to make sure the lockdown easing doesn’t roll back all the progress we’ve made as a town.

“Covid is still out there; it’s still circulating in our community and causing people to become quite poorly.

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“So, it’s really important children don’t go into school if they have any coronavirus symptoms, follow the guidelines the schools have laid out and young people and their parents play their part by not hanging around in groups at drop off and pick up, keeping their distance from others and not meeting in each other’s houses.”

In the most recent data available, two more people from the borough died due to covid (week ending 5 March) bringing the total number of Slough residents who have died of covid during the pandemic to 324.