Covid-19 outbreak reported at Police Scotland driver training school
Seven people with links to the driving school at the Police Scotland training college in Tulliallan have tested positive for Covid-19.
NHS Fife said the positive cases include household contacts and all were experiencing mild symptoms and isolating at home.
It added there was no evidence at this stage of transmission within the wider facility, and based on the measures already taken and information currently available the risk of onward transmission has been minimised.
Contact tracers are in the process of identifying and tracing the close contacts of the positive cases to provide public health support and advice. As a precaution, additional contacts of the positive cases have been asked to self-isolate pending further assessment.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “Police Scotland is following Scottish government and NHS guidance and where cases of coronavirus are identified, we work with the local health board and follow Test and Protect procedures.
“We have robust measures in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The cases relate to our driving training facility and there is no evidence of transmission within the wider college.”
However David Hamilton, chair of the Scottish Police Federation, said it had raised concerns about protective measures with the force
“This is concerning but frankly not surprising news,” he said. “We have been warning of the dangers of complacency within Police Scotland for a number of weeks now – particularly in relation to basic protective measures such as mask wearing.
“We wish all those ill, a full and speedy recovery and hope that other colleagues affected, and their friends and families, remain safe.”
Dr Lorna Watson, a consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Fife, said: “We appreciate that students and staff attending the Police Scotland College at Tulliallan may be concerned, however, there is no indication of further transmission of Covid-19 at the facility and we believe the risk of contracting coronavirus remains low.
“As part of the Test and Protect programme, we have systems in place to identify close contacts of positive cases quickly to reduce the opportunity for the virus to spread further. This is a tried and tested method of breaking the chains of transmission for communicable viruses such as Covid-19.”
