Five new cases of Covid-19 have been linked to a positive case at a Shetland primary school.
NHS health officials confirmed the new stream of cases have been directly linked to Mossbank Primary School, which was forced to close yesterday for a deep clean following confirmation of a case.
Dr Susan Laidlaw, NHS Shetland consultant in public health, confirmed those involved had presented no symptoms but were identified through close contact tracing.
A small number of individuals are currently isolating on the island.
The outbreak comes as more than 57% of adults have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Laidlaw said she is not surprised by the rise in cases at this stage of the pandemic.
She said: “These new cases have been contact-traced and any new contacts have been asked to isolate and will be tested.
“They will be required to continue isolating, even if they test negative, in case they are still incubating the virus.
“I am not surprised that we have some more people testing positive for Covid in Shetland. We have been fortunate not to have seen new cases for several weeks, but it was inevitable that there would be more at this stage of the pandemic.”
A deep clean was undertaken at the island primary school following news of a positive case.
The closure delayed the return of pupils in P4-P7 who were due to resume classes at the school on Monday as part of the roadmap out of lockdown.
Dr Laidlaw added: “Please wear facemasks when required, wash hands, avoid crowds and keep 2m away from people outside your household whenever you can.
“This virus spreads very easily but everyone in the community can help it stop spreading by following the guidance.”