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Issued by NHS Highland  As confirmed cases of COVID rise across the NHS Highland area, local schools, which saw pupils returning last week after the summer holidays, have begun to feel the impact.   From 16 – 22 August, NHS Highland saw over 1000 cases which represents almost 10% of our total case count for the whole pandemic in a single week. This increase is expected to continue and we are already seeing a large number of outbreaks in Highland schools with around 60 schools affected so far.  

  Issued by the Scottish Government   

Giving young people the best educational start in life will be on the agenda when the Community Services Committee meets next week. A proposed learning estate strategy will be considered, covering everything from outdoor learning, school rolls, and the condition of schools, to community involvement, national education priorities, and local ambitions for young people in ����ֱ�� and Bute. The strategy also sets out future aims and priorities. These include:

Issued by NHS Highland   Members of the public across Highland, ����ֱ�� and Bute are being urged to remain cautious and continue to be vigilant for symptoms of COVID-19 as new confirmed cases for this week are close to hitting 600; 193 of these confirmed on Thursday.   The cases are widespread across all of the NHS Highland area. Fort William, Oban and the Isle of Bute are seeing particularly high rates. There is no single situation driving the numbers up, sustained community transmission explains the increase in cases.  

����ֱ�� has listened to feedback from parents and pupils, and created a tasty new school menu that takes their views into account. The Scottish Government introduced new guidelines for school meals in April and, following feedback from parents and pupils, council officers have worked hard to create a delicious menu that will appeal to pupils, while also meeting the guidance.

Hobbit houses, campfires and water walls are just some of the fun outdoor learning activities that children will get to experience as a result of ����ֱ�� and Bute’s new Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings and the ongoing expansion of an existing unit on Mull. Willowview in Oban and Silverbirch in Dunoon, both run by ����ֱ��, welcomed their first children this week, while MAKI Pups in Lochgilphead, run by the ����ֱ�� and The isles Coast and Countryside Trust, has been fully operational for nine months now.

Plans are progressing for local events that will support the aims of the global climate change conference planned in Glasgow later this year. Included is an event in Helensburgh that will raise the question – what do we need to do to make ����ֱ�� and Bute the UK’s first net zero region?

����ֱ�� has given the green light for a new native woodland in Lochgilphead, as part of its work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045. The scheme will see woodland planted across 60 hectares of council-owned land, located mostly around Kilmory. It will be delivered through a partnership between the council and ����ֱ�� and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT).

Public, private and third sector organisations with ten or more employees (which can include formal volunteers) can now sign up for asymptomatic workplace testing.

Local businesses are being encouraged to find out how a new gift card scheme, approved by ����ֱ�� today, could help them. The aim of the ����ֱ�� and Bute Loves Local Gift Card initiative is to encourage local shopping, drive footfall to community businesses and keep spend local in the local area for longer. The cards are suitable for small independent and national retailers with no costs to individual businesses. They can be used for face-to-face transactions, and online where a business has a ‘bricks and mortar’ presence in ����ֱ�� and Bute.