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TEACHING unions have been demanding the closure of schools for four weeks, but Boris Johnson will keep classes open during a second national closure.
The National Education Union (NEU) urged the prime minister to include schools and universities in England’s new one-month shutdown, to be announced at a 6.30pm press conference in Downing Street.
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Johnson is expected to announce a package of strict Covid-19 restrictions that will last until December 2.
The measures, which go into effect on Thursday, will mean that all pubs and restaurants will close in a big U-turn, four months after the first UK-wide closure.
Demanding classrooms are closed, NEU Deputy Secretary General Kevin Courtney insisted that ONS data shows that schools “are an engine for virus transmission.”
Courtney said: “It would be counterproductive for the government to impose a national lockdown, while ignoring the role of schools as one of the major contributors to the spread of the virus.
UNION DEMAND
“The government should include all schools in proposals for an immediate national closure.”
Failure to close schools would lead to “even longer closings in the future,” Courtney said.
The union argued that schools should remain open only for the children of key workers and vulnerable children.
Under the impending new lockdown, non-essential retail will close, although supermarkets will not have to seal non-essential goods as seen in Wales during its short-term lockdown.
Work from home will also be encouraged.
International outbound travel will be prohibited, except for work reasons, and travel within the UK, except for work reasons, will be discouraged.
But, unlike the first closure, schools and universities will remain open.
It comes as Britain surpassed one million Covid cases today after 21,915 more positive people for the bug.
A further 326 deaths have been recorded, meaning 46,555 have died from coronavirus in the UK.
The government has promised to keep schools open and the schools are a current exemption from the three-tier local lockdown system that regions of England have been subjected to.
The prime minister said that children’s “life chances” were threatened if they spent more time outside of class.
In regions under third-tier closure measures, schools have remained open while hospitality venues have been forced to close.
School closures have been viewed by some officials as a mistake and it would be an absolute last resort for ministers to do so again.
Johnson has insisted that schools and universities should only be closed again as a “last resort,” even if the country enters a total lockdown or by circuit breakers.
The decision to impose tougher restrictions comes as experts warned the prime minister that enforcing all the restrictions starting next week will be the only way to rescue the holiday period.
The virus is believed to be spreading faster than the initial “worst-case scenario” predicted.
The grim models shown to the prime minister predict 4,000 deaths a day before the end of the year if no more severe restrictions are introduced, the BBC reports.
The crackdown is an attempt to curb the grim figure that 85,000 people could die from a second wave of Covid-19, warned a document from the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
The UK reached the grim milestone of one million coronavirus cases throughout the pandemic after a further 21,915 positive results were confirmed today.
A further 326 deaths have been recorded, meaning 46,555 have died from the virus in Britain.
Northern Ireland has been under a four-week lockdown since October 17 and schools will be closed for two weeks.
It is unclear how Scottish schools will be affected when a new five-tier system takes effect from 2 November.
Wales has been under a “firewall” blockade since 23 October, and primary schools and schools for special educational needs will reopen next week.
Secondary schools in Wales will be closed to all but those in years seven and eight.
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