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Hundreds of thousands of students will not return to schools and universities as planned due to increasing infection rates and the spread of the new Covid variant.
Announcing a U-turn in the planned staggered reopening, UK Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said students in exam years will return to secondary schools one week later than planned, starting on January 11.
Other high school and college students will return full time on January 18, he told parliament.
And elementary schools in a “small number of areas” where Covid-19 infection rates are the highest will not reopen for face-to-face teaching to all students as planned next week.
There has been growing concern from teaching unions and scientists about the spread of the virus following the discovery of its much more transmissible variant, with case rates and hospital admissions on the rise in many parts of the country.
Williamson told MPs in the Commons that the government had to make an “immediate adjustment” to its plans to reopen schools in early January.
He said: “We must always act quickly when circumstances change. The evidence on the new variant of Covid and the increase in infection rates have required an immediate adjustment in our plans for the new period. “
He added: “The latest study we have from Public Health England is that Covid infections among children are caused by changes in the community rate. The study also says that the broader impact of school closings on children’s development would be significant.
“I am very clear that we must continue to do everything possible so that children continue in school.”
The tiered approach was to have elementary school students and high school exam students return in the first week of January, and other students return later in the month to allow principals to implement mass testing of the children. and the personal.
Today’s plan change comes after warnings from experts suggesting a delayed comeback might be necessary as hospitals grapple with more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave.
An overnight YouGov poll suggested that 43 per cent of 7,999 British adults surveyed would “strongly support” keeping schools in England closed for two more weeks after the Christmas holidays.
Only 9 percent “strongly oppose” and 10% “somewhat oppose” keeping the school doors closed, YouGov said.
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