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A major dispute over schools continues today after teacher unions asked the government to back down on its decision to allow large numbers of primaries to reopen on Monday.
Greater Manchester is one of several areas in England at Level 4, the toughest level of Covid-19 restrictions, whose primary schools will reopen on January 4. In London, all primary schools will remain closed due to rising rates of coronavirus infection.
However, pressure is mounting on the government to reverse its policy and close all primaries across the country. The National Education Union (NEU), the UK’s largest teachers union, told its members on Saturday that it is not safe for them to return to work on Monday.
It occurs when England’s infection rate increased by 17% in one week to 467.7 cases per 100,000 people. The average in Greater Manchester is substantially lower at 242.3 cases per 100,000 population, yet it is increasing substantially in all counties and represents a 25 percent increase week over week.
Doctors have warned that the ‘disaster medicine mode’ crisis currently facing London hospitals will soon spread across the country.
Boris Johnson is scheduled to speak on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning amid chaos over schools, with the UK also hitting a record number of daily Covid-19 cases on Saturday.
57,725 more cases were detected in the UK in the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 2,599,789.
The previous case record of 55,892 was set on New Year’s Eve.
The official death toll also rose by 445 to 74,570, but separate figures released by UK statistical agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, along with additional data on the deaths that have occurred in the last few days show there have now been 90,000 Covid-19 related deaths in the UK.
Follow the updates live throughout the day on our blog, which will be uploaded below.
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