PUPILS and teachers must wear face masks when moving around schools, a council had told parents.

Schools under Essex County Council have been told that all pupils in year seven and above, plus adults, must mask up when leaving the classroom and meet in communal areas.

In a letter sent out to all parents of pupils in County Hall schools, seen by the Echo, Ray Gooding, councillor responsible for education, said parents must provide their children with masks.

He said: “In education settings that teach those in Year 7 and above, students and adults should now wear face coverings when moving around indoors, unless the person is exempt from doing so.

“This requirement would apply in corridors and communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. We have asked schools to review their risk assessments and to inform you of any changes they have introduced.

“Parents will need to provide their child with a mask and ensure they know how and when to wear it. “It is now more important than ever for young people, parents and families to consider their actions outside education settings.

“We must all follow the social contact restrictions that come with Essex’s move to the High alert level. Only one household / support bubble can mix inside. Outside, the rule of six applies.”

The parts of Essex covered by County Hall went into “high” alert level for Covid-19 on Saturday morning following a request by the council to the government.

This means that people cannot mix with those from other households indoors.

Mr Gooding has also told parents they must keep apart during school pick-up times.

He said: “It is crucial that young people and parents maintain a two-metre distance from others at the school gate during dropping-off and picking-up time.

“This cannot be stressed enough: you are highly unlikely to catch or spread COVID-19 through air-born particles if you maintain this distance. We urge you to work with our education leaders to keep our settings, schools and colleges safe for staff, pupils and the wider community.”

Mr Gooding added: “The decision we made with our district leaders and MPs to ask for this move to the High alert level was not taken lightly, and we know this may not be welcome news to many who live in Essex.

“But we are extremely concerned about the exponential growth of cases and our ability to control the spread of the virus with the current restrictions available to us.

“We are confident this swift action now will ultimately help protect residents, businesses and the NHS in the coming weeks and months.”