There have been a total of 321 cases of Covid in school age children this year.

A breakdown of figures was released in a written reply to question tabled for this week’s House of Keys sitting.

Most of the recorded school age cases - 52 - were among pupils at Bemahague. Ballakermeen had 22 cases and Queen Elizabeth II High School, 15.

Nine were recorded at Ballasalla Primary School and eight each at St Ninian’s High School, Castle Rushen High School and King William’s College.

Onchan Primary School has six and Ramsey Grammar School and Willaston School both had five recorded cases of Covid among their pupils.

Nineteen others had fewer than five cases each. The identify of the school was not recorded in 148 cases.

The Manx government has come under fire for allowing school to reopen on Monday March 1 despite concerns of unexplained cases in the community.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle told the Keys last week that the Council of Ministers noted verbal updates on test date when they met during the weekend of February 27-28 and made the collective decision not to put the island into lockdown.

It wasn’t until the Wednesday that schools were closed as part of a third lockdown.