LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today he hopes schools in England would not be forced to close even if local lockdowns are needed to tackle a coronavirus outbreak.
During a visit to a school in east London, Johnson insisted it is the country’s “moral duty” to ensure children return to school full time in September, and that he is “very keen” that exams should go ahead as normal.
He added that closing schools will be a measure of last resort.
“I very much hope that doesn’t happen for any pupils but clearly what we are doing — the way we are trying to manage the COVID pandemic — is to have local measures in place and local test and trace to introduce restrictions where that’s necessary,” he said. “But, as we have all said, the last thing we want to do is to close schools. We think education is the priority for the country and that is simple social justice.”
Schools across the U.K. closed on March 20 for all pupils with the exception of children of key workers or in situations of vulnerability. They began to reopen on June 1, starting with early year pupils (ages 3-4), Reception (ages 4-5), Year 1 (ages 5-6) and Year 6 (ages 10-11). The government’s plan is for most children across the U.K. to return to the classrooms by September. Scottish schools are scheduled to reopen from Tuesday.
Earlier today, Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford warned some schools could close in the event of a local coronavirus spike.
“Every local flare-up is different. In some places not reopening schools would be part of a plan, in other sorts of outbreaks that may not be necessary. It’s down to the local circumstances, down to the team on the ground, and they will then advise Welsh ministers,” Drakeford told BBC Breakfast.