British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said stricter lockout controls were likely on the way on Sunday as COVID-19 cases continue to increase, but schools are safe and kids can continue to attend where allowed.
In Britain, COVID-19 infections are at unprecedented levels and a recent and more transmissible strain of the virus is fuelling the growth in numbers. The proposed reopening of schools in and around London has been postponed by the government, but teacher groups want greater closures.
Under a four-tier structure of regional legislation aimed at preventing the transmission of the virus and protecting the national health system, most of England is now operating under the highest degree of restrictions.
Under a four-tier structure of regional legislation aimed at preventing the transmission of the virus and protecting the national health system, most of England is now operating under the highest degree of restrictions.
“There are obviously a range of tougher measures that we would have to consider … I’m not going to speculate now about what they would be,” he said.
The opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Johnson must implement a national lockdown immediately.
“What we’ve learnt is that the longer you delay the difficult decisions, the worse it is on the health front, the worse it is on the economic front,” Starmer told reporters.
On Sunday, Britain reported 54,990 new cases of the virus and recorded more than 75,000 deaths from the pandemic.
The reaction of the government has been widely criticized. But with the first 530,000 doses of the recently licensed Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines ready to be delivered, the rollout of vaccines is expected to intensify on Monday, Johnson added.
He hoped that within the next three months, “tens of millions” would be handled.
Millions of students are expected to return on Monday from their Christmas holidays, and Johnson urged parents to take their kids to school in areas where laws permit it.
“There is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe, and that education is a priority,” he said.
Any local councils and unions have cautioned against school reopenings and have vowed to act against the recommendation of the government, but others say closures also have a significant negative effect on schools.
“We must renew and maintain the consensus that children’s time out of school should be kept to the absolute minimum,” Amanda Spielman, chief schools inspector, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.
Source: Reuters