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A teachers union is calling for schools to be closed as part of England’s second lockdown, claiming they are a “major contributor to the spread of the coronavirus.”
On Saturday, the prime minister said that schools, colleges and universities will remain open between November 5 and December 2 when the the rest of the country closes again.
But more than 70,000 teachers and support staff want schools closed, except for the children of key workers, according to the National Education Union (NEU).
Secretary General Kevin Courtney said in a statement: “The government should include all schools in proposals for an immediate national closure and at a minimum be preparing for school rotations at the end of that period.”
“From the data of the ONS (Office of National Statistics) it is clear that schools are an engine of virus transmission.
“It would be counterproductive for the government to impose a national blockade, ignoring the role of schools as one of the main contributors to the spread of the virus.
“This is likely to lead to the need for even longer closures in the future.”
Referring to the latest figures from ONS, Courtney said that 1% of elementary school students and 2% of high school students have COVID-19.
Analysis of his union’s data suggests that infection levels in elementary schools are nine times higher than when the term began in September, and 50 times higher in secondary schools.
But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said Saturday that it is “very important” that schools and universities remain open.
Chief physician Professor Chris Whitty she has also consistently advocated for children to stay in school.
He said in August: “The chances that many children will be harmed by not going to school are incredibly clear and therefore the balance of risk is very much in favor of children going to school because it is likely that many more be harmed by not being harmed. ” going, even during this pandemic. “
England’s Commissioner for Children, Anne Longfield, added that closing schools would be a “disaster” for the well-being of students and their education.
In Welsh Y North Ireland, schools were closed for an extended period of two weeks as part of their respective “breaker” closures.
There were calls for similar action in England, but Boris johnson He said they should continue as normal.
