Schools reopen as bug brought under control

Monday 10th September 2007, 12:00AM BST.

TWO schools reopened today as Health announced that the major outbreak of a virulent stomach bug had been brought under control.

Health Protection said this morning that their investigations had confirmed that the bug was a highly contagious norovirus infection, which is spread through personal contact. Steve Smith, the head of Health Protection, said that sandwiches supplied to Haute Vallée and Springfield schools for a staff in-set day last Monday, as well as production staff at Jersey Live the same day, were to blame. Haute Vallée head teacher Bob Fairhurst said that the school had taken advice from health experts and was insisting that staff did not come back until at least 48 hours after their symptoms stopped to prevent the illness from spreading. He added that sensitive areas of the school had been disinfected over the weekend as part of a ‘deep clean’ of the premises.

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