UK closure: No end in sight, with little chance of schools reopening after Easter

Rishi Sunak declined to say when the blockade will be lifted, as calls grew for schools to reopen as soon as possible.

The chancellor said a review would be carried out, but the restrictions are likely to be extended. Parents fear that children’s education will be affected.

Meanwhile, a Tory MP has also demanded the reopening of schools as soon as it is safe.

When ministers were pressured to tell parents if their children can return to the classroom, Robert Halfon said he was concerned that some children would be left behind due to continued blockage of the coronavirus.

Health chiefs insist that it is “premature” to say when the restrictions will be lifted and likely to extend beyond next week.

And Sunak announced that the closure review will continue on Sunday, more than three weeks after it was imposed, but declined to set the time to start an exit strategy.

Schools will almost certainly not open after Easter break.

But bosses and MPs have said that while it would be unsafe to return in the coming weeks, they hope to be able to open fully before the end of the July summer period.

As the number of deaths in the UK increased from 938 to 7,097, Mr Halfon, Chairman of the Education Selection Committee, said: “Obviously I want schools to open as soon as possible because I am really concerned about what is going to spend with the stragglers

“If they are trapped at home, they will potentially suffer greatly.”

“Education is the most important thing we can give to children and young people and it is vital that schools open as soon as science allows. It has to be a number one priority for the government.”

Halfon spoke after University College London’s review last week cast doubt on the effectiveness of school closings in stopping the disease.

A former World Health Organization executive yesterday revealed his four-step strategy to facilitate Britain’s closure.

Professor Karol Sikora said the first step would be to allow small businesses to reopen on April 27, and for all schools to continue from May 4.

But unions have emphasized the safety of teachers, students, and the community, it must come first. Chris Keates, Acting Secretary-General of NASUWT, said: “Everyone is eager to return to normal as soon as possible, but decisions to strengthen or loosen current restrictions should always be governed by medical and scientific evidence.

“Political or business considerations should never be allowed to override the safety of students, school personnel, and the community at large.”

And Whitehall sources insisted that a date had not been set to reopen schools in England, and that it would only emerge once the scientific council concluded that it was safe for them to do so.

Mr. Sunak said: “We promised that there would be a review in and around three weeks, that review will be based on evidence and data, which will only be available next week.

“I think rather than speculating about the future, I think we should seriously focus on the here and now.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who will replace Boris Johnson while the Prime Minister is treated from Covid-19, will chair a COBRA meeting with delegate administrations to discuss the response to the shutdown.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said evidence from other countries suggests that the peak remains “for some time” before a reduction occurs.

He added: “I think it is reasonable to say that the blockade will have to continue for a while and that we do not need to make this decision early next week.”

The Welsh government has already decided to extend the restrictions for at least one more week.

Prime Minister Mark Drakeford said in a virtual meeting of the Welsh Assembly: “We will not throw away the achievements we have made and the lives we can save, abandoning our efforts just as they begin to bear fruit.”

He revealed that he had discussed the matter with ministers in the rest of the UK, who are expected to do the same.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned on Wednesday that the UK “was not close” to coming out of the lockdown and that the peak of the disease was still a week and a half away.

He said the capital still saw “too many people losing their lives” and that he must prepare to make the restrictions last much longer.

Health Minister Edward Argar admitted “I don’t know” when the blockade would end, and the key factor is when new cases each day “peak” and begin to drop.

Authorities face more immediate concerns over the four-day Easter weekend, with the expected warm weather, raising fears that parks and beaches will be full again.

Experts say any relief from social distancing measures is based on widespread evidence, that Britain has sadly lagged behind.

The ministers are reportedly preparing to issue a plea to UK industry to build a home antibody test to help get out of the blockade.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock promised 100,000 daily tests by the end of the month so that all self-insulating NHS personnel can be screened for the virus.

The Health Department said that a new testing laboratory established by AstraZeneca, GSK and the University of Cambridge would aim to carry out 30,000 tests per day in May.

It may be weeks before the slowdown in infections turns into a drop in daily deaths.

New confirmed daily cases increased to 5,492 as the number of people screened in the previous 24 hours increased to 12,959. This compares with 3,634 new cases as of Tuesday, 3,802 on Monday and 5,903 on Sunday.

The researchers believe that the coronavirus blockade is working.

Data from a tracking app suggests that the number of people aged 20-69 reporting symptoms of the disease has decreased from 1.9 million to 1.4 million across the UK.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said: “Schools will remain closed until further notice, except for children of critical workers and the most vulnerable children.

“We will reopen the schools when the scientific council indicates that it is safe to do so.”