PHOTO PHOTO: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson talks to locals at a heritage center in Beeston near Nottingham, England, 28 July 2020. Rui Vieira / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo
(Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a public relations campaign to reopen schools on time in September, saying in a meeting that they should be the last places to close, even in case of a local lockdown, the Sunday Times reported.
The Prime Minister emphasized (in a meeting on Thursday) that the harm to children’s education due to not attending school and their mental health is far more harmful than the low risk (due to the coronavirus) that schools will manage carefully, The newspaper quoted a source as saying.
A study published on Tuesday said Britain’s a second wave of COVID-19 this winter is twice as large as the first outbreak as it reopens schools full-time without improving its test-and-trace system.
Schools in Britain closed in March during a national lockdown, excluding the children of key workers, and opened in June for a small number of pupils. The government wants all students to return to school by early September, with Johnson calling this a national priority.
Report of Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Edited by Daniel Wallis
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