[ad_1]
The gradual return of pupils to classrooms in Scotland will begin on Monday, the prime minister confirmed.
Nicola sturgeon revealed the news in a statement to the Scottish parliament, as it said the country’s lockdown would continue until “at least” early March and “possibly for a period beyond that”.
She told the MSPs that the closure was working, with less COVID-19 patients in hospital and intensive care, but warned that “even a slight” easing of restrictions could cause cases to “start to increase rapidly again.”
And Sturgeon said a return to “100% normal” would not be possible in the near future.
She told the Scottish Parliament that some measures may have to remain in place, with “trade-offs” needed to ease some restrictions.
“We are choosing to use the very limited margin that we have at the moment for at least some children to go back to school, because the education and well-being of children is a priority,” the prime minister said.
“But being able to get kids back into education may mean that the rest of us live with other restrictions for longer.”
He warned that “if we open up too quickly to meet arbitrary dates, we run the risk of delaying progress.”
“In fact, due to the new, more infectious variant, our exit from the confinement is likely to be even more cautious than last summer,” continued Sturgeon.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Scotland’s ‘sun’ after target jabs
“And secondly, probably for a while yet, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve 100% normality. Therefore, in a world where we cannot do everything immediately, we will have to decide what is most important.”
He said the government hopes to produce a new roadmap to ease the lockdown next week, with more emphasis on data rather than timing for relaxation measures.
Giving MSPs an example of what he might say, Sturgeon said he would probably advise Scots not to book holidays at home or abroad during Easter, but added that “stays” in the summer may be allowed depending on the data.
Education would be the priority, he said, followed by allowing greater family contact and the opening of nonessential retail stores that herald the beginning of a gradual reopening of the economy.
On the schools, Ms. Sturgeon said that students from Primary 1 to Primary will return on February 22, along with all children under school age in early education and child care and those in upper secondary school.
He said older students would only be allowed to return to ensure that practical work important for their grades was completed.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Can we keep up with the evolution of the virus and will we have to vaccinate the population in the coming years?
The prime minister said no further returns to the school would take place before March 15, in order to allow sufficient time to assess the impact of the return in phase one.
And he warned parents not to socialize outside the school gates for fear of transmitting the virus, saying that the return to school of some students should only be treated as “a return to education only for children, and not as a return to more normalcy for children. ” the rest of us”.
Sturgeon said earlier this month that the return of the students would be supported by an expansion of testing, and that older students and anyone who works in schools or childcare centers will be routinely tested twice per week.
The prime minister also used her statement to praise Scotland’s “outstanding” vaccine program.
He said 94% of people between the ages of 70 and 79 had received the first dose of a vaccine, along with 58% of those between 65 and 69.
Subscribe to the daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker
“I want to thank everyone who planned and implemented the program and everyone who has come forward to get vaccinated,” Sturgeon said.
The return date for schools in Scotland is two weeks before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s potential date for the reopening of schools in England.
In Wales, children aged three to seven will also return to the classroom on February 22, along with some older children in vocational training courses.
In Northern Ireland, ministers are scheduled to discuss a potential date to reopen schools in a meeting on Thursday.
