SCHOOLS have been advised to tell pupils to wear face masks in class after a case of the Omicron Covid variant was discovered in Essex.

Southend’s director of public health Krishna Ramkhelawon has joined calls from education secretary Nadhim Zahawi for pupils aged 11 and above to wear masks in communal areas.

From today (November 30), face coverings are mandatory on public transport and in shops and other settings including banks, post offices and hairdressers.

Close contacts of positive Omicron cases are being ordered to isolate for 10 days even if they have been vaccinated, amid concerns the variant first detected in South Africa could spread rapidly and partially evade existing jabs.

Welcoming the government’s guidance on the new variant, Mr Ramkhelawon, said on Monday: “Today I will also be issuing guidance to all secondary schools and education settings advising them that all students aged 11 and above right through to university, should wear face coverings in communal areas and this will also be mandated for staff and visitors.

“Covid-19 rates in Southend have increased by a third on the previous week and that alone shows we must remain vigilant.

He added: “We are reliant on people resuming previous behaviours including mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing and room ventilation.”

Katherine Dines, headteacher of The Sweyne Park School, has sent a letter to parents declaring all pupils must adhere to the facemask guidance while in communal areas.

She said: “Given the unknown nature of the new variant, it is essential that we do all that we can to protect our school and the wider community.”

A case of the “variant of concern” was detected by the UK Health Security Agency in Brentwood over the weekend which has since been traced to Larchwood Primary School.

The infected individual is “well” and isolating, Essex’s top public health official has said.

Essex's director of public health Dr Michael Gogarty told BBC Breakfast: “Most importantly with the confirmed case is that they are well, they are isolating with their family.

“When I say that they are well, I mean they are not seriously ill. They have some symptoms but they do not require hospitalisation.”