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Schools to stay open as Johnson announces tougher lockdown restrictions

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Schools, colleges and universities “will stay open”, despite a ramping up of lockdown restrictions in England, Boris Johnson has said.

Announcing a plethora of tougher measures including an enforced 10pm closing time for pubs and a plea for workers to once again work from home if they can, Johnson said the country had reached a “perilous turning point”.

The number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in England has risen sharply in the past few weeks, from less than 2,000 on September 1 to over 4,000 on Monday.

“I want to stress that this is by no means a return to the full lockdown of March,” Johnson told the House of Commons, adding that

“We’re not issuing a general instruction to stay at home. We will ensure that schools, colleges and universities stay open because nothing is more important than the education, health and wellbeing of our young people.”

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6 Comments

  1. The government got it all wrong yet again … and this time they are meddling with parents of young children. No school should have reopened unless the infection rate had significantly reduced, there was a working track and trace system in place and there were enough tests to cover both children and staff for the full term. If schools did open at the sacrifice of saving the economy then parents that are genuinely concerned about the rising numbers of infection, should not be penalised for not sending their children in. Schools should not be mandatory given the current situation.

  2. Everyone else is society is told to work from home, social distance for yours and other safety. But yet as a parent we have to send our children to school were no proper socially distancing is in place and mix our children with 30 to 60 other families. We have already had our school close for a day. No effective trace and trace or testing in place yet many private school have paid for their own testing machines. This is not acceptable teaching should be online untill there is a vacine. Parents are being force to put themselves and their children at risk. All because the government are in capable of planning. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this is were we would be come September. They lifted restrictions too quickly why eat out to help it just encouraged people to get back to normality too quickly and a breading ground for the virus. Then they are too slow now to lock us down creating anxiety and panic buying,, how many people will die cos the government can’t get a grip. Parents stand your ground don’t send your kids to school that way the government has to listen. They will have to make alternative plans for our children’s education. I am single parent, who works from home throughout this pandemic if I can work from home to be safe why can’t I have my child with me and keep us both saf. If I get the virus who looks after my daughter. I don’t think anyone would volunteer.

  3. please get our children out of school. rates are getting higher and some of us parents are aged 40 plus. we are in danger now the rates are high. either this or resolve o the 2 weeks in and 2 weeks out proposal.

    we are going to take a stand if not

  4. ForestElf

    I work as a supply teacher in the south of England where rates are supposedly low. In the past two weeks I’ve heard of 3 cases in local
    schools.

    Today I arrived to work at a school, only to told they’d just had a confirmed case of COVID but as it was a member of the kitchen staff, the official guidance was that the school should stay open. Not a single child or member of staff was sent home.

    The head provided me with a visor and asked us all to wash our hands as frequently as possible to try and protect ourselves.

    In my opinion, this has put the entire teaching staff and the children they teach at risk. At the very least, the school should have been closed for 48h hours to enable a deep clean to take place.

    As a supply teacher, if I don’t work I don’t get paid but I am concerned that the government appear to be happy for schools to carry on no matter what the cost to teachers and children’s safety.

  5. Let’s not send kids to school during next lockdown! Teachers should refuse to go to school as well! There not enough menthal support for our kids and especially teenagers are suffering. Kids can’t cope with pressure go to infected school and being child of one single perent. Who will look after my child if I’m in hospital with Corona? UK government doesn’t make sense at all! Single parents families are facing huge risk of mental disorders under upcoming lockdown!

  6. anonymous

    i’m a 15 year old school girl. school is so tough for me but seeing my friends and family outside of school keeps me mentally happy and not too stressed. if we go into another lockdown, where school stays open but we are unable to socialise, my mental health will go down so fast i genuinely don’t think i’ll make it through. please don’t do this boris, close schools as many of my peers feel the same