JASON Leitch rejected claims that teachers are ill-prepared to return to school this week during a BBC Good Morning Scotland programme earlier.

The national clinical director insisted the guidance has been available for parents, teachers and others concerned about kids getting back into classrooms for “some time”.

On July 16, the Scottish Government published scientific advice designed to “inform the way schools can re-open safely from 11 August, if infection rates continue to remain low”, according to Education Secretary John Swinney.

This morning a NASUWT union study has revealed nearly half of teachers do not think it is safe to reopen schools to pupils yet, while two-thirds said they did not feel prepared.

READ MORE: Coronavirus LIVE: Scotland records 353 new cases last week as schools return imminent

Presenter Laura Maxwell pressed Leitch on the topic. She asked: “What is the message, then, being given to teachers this morning as they go back? Because we know there’s been a survey by the NASUWT which is the secondary teachers’ union in Scotland saying that almost half of them are very concerned about going back in. Two thirds of them say they don’t feel prepared to return to school, they feel … almost 90% of them feel anxious about it.”

Leitch insisted this was not an “abstract concept” for him, as his wife is a teacher. “I’ve discussed it at the dinner table for nights on end as I’m sure you can imagine and other family members, and my advice is it’s safe for those teachers to go back.

“However they should familiarise themselves with the guidance that’s been available for some time about how to make it as safe as possible. There is no risk-free route out of a global pandemic that has killed 700,000 people and infected 20 million. There isn’t a risk-free route map available.”

The national clinical director insisted that the “consensus advice” is that it is safe for schools to reopen from tomorrow.

“There are a number of sources for that advice,” Leitch told the programme. “The principle advice has come from our Education Recovery Group, which has some scientists, clinicians, but also the broad nature of education including unions and teachers and others as you would exactly expect.

“The scientific advice then goes back to our broader advisory group, which has been advising us the whole way through this pandemic about what we can open and when. I don’t think parents should be overly worried – they should of course be cautious and concerned. We are still living in a global pandemic. But the consensus advice is it is safe to open schools in Scotland.”

During the interview, Leitch also said tougher measures could be taken against schools in Grampian if control of community coronavirus transmission is lost.

The number of cases in the Covid-19 cluster in the city stood at 134 yesterday, with a total of 728 close contacts identified.

Leitch told the programme: "It's not the number of positives in Grampian, it's a matter of community transmission.

"If we, the country, lost control of that outbreak and we couldn't trace a large number of cases back to the original cases from last weekend, that's when we would start thinking about doing things.

"You've seen us already take action last week - about travel, about indoor meeting up, about hospitality - and we won't hesitate to do that in other parts of the country or to take stronger measures in Grampian and Aberdeen if that's what's necessary.

"Schools will have to be in that equation, of course they will."