Boris Johnson has today refused to close schools across the UK despite more than 350,000 people signing a petition urging the government to take action.
Concerned parents are calling on the Prime Minister to send pupils home to prevent the spread of Covid19 – with 100,000 signatures being the minimum required to secure a debate on the matter in Parliament.
But as the PM chaired an emergency Cobra committee shifting the UK’s tactics from ‘containing’ the killer disease to merely ‘delaying’ its inevitable spread, he declined to shut schools.
A spokesman for the Department for Education insisted institutions would remain open, unless advised otherwise.
The approach contrasts sharply with countries such as Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Lithuania which announced they will close all schools and colleges.
This morning, Irish PM Leo Varadkar declared that schools, colleges and childcare facilities are to close for two weeks.
The petition, started by Sami Attout, urges Boris Johnson to shut down schools and colleges ‘in the coming weeks of as soon as possible’, to prevent the spread of Covid19
The petition, started by Sami Attout, urges Boris Johnson to shut down schools and colleges ‘in the coming weeks of as soon as possible’, to prevent the spread of Covid19.
Public Health England wrote in a blog: ‘Closing schools can be disruptive for both children and parents so this is something we would need to consider very carefully.’
The coronavirus does not seem to be infecting children anywhere near as much as it affects adults, for reasons that scientists don’t yet understand.
If schools were to be closed, pupils may be set work to do at home or given online lessons through video tutorials or special school networks.
Children in other countries such as Italy are still taking part in hours of school lessons even from isolation.
It was reported last night that teachers had been told to prepare home learning packs for students in readiness for a potential month-long enforced break.
It was also rumoured that nationwide coronavirus closures could come into effect on March 20 – weeks before the traditional Easter break.
Another proposal on the table was to shorten the Easter break by a week and scrapping the May half-term.
The Government’s coronavirus action plan admits that it could close schools and universities if the outbreak in the UK worsens.
But officials have so far been reluctant to admit they will do this and appear to be very against the idea.
A Government spokesperson said today: ‘As the Chief Medical Officer has said, the impact of closing schools on both children’s education and on the workforce will be substantial, but the benefit to public health may not be.
‘Decisions on future advice to schools will be taken based on the latest and best scientific evidence, which at this stage suggests children are a lower risk group.
‘The advice from Public Health England continues to be for schools to remain open, unless advised otherwise.’
The hashtag, ‘#closetheschools’ is trending on social media today as people across both the UK and America raise their fears about the spread of the virus in school buildings.
The petition states: ‘We would like the government to at least consider closing schools/colleges down in the coming weeks or as soon as possible, in addition to taking necessary actions to prevent further spread.
‘We would like the Government or Parliament to enforce this action due to the growing fear among parents and students that attend school.
‘The ability to focus or concentrate is affected in addition to the growing fears of the Coronavirus.
Britons had been anxiously waiting to find out if their schools and workplaces have closed
‘In our view, the government and health officials around the world are more ‘reactive’ rather than ‘proactive’.
‘This will result in more spread as time is given for the virus to do so. We hope to come to an agreement as soon as possible in a timely manner.’
Speaking on Good Morning today, Dr Hilary Jones said plans to move to the delay phase would help protect the NHS and stop it from becoming overwhelmed.
He also added that children are at a lower risk of contracting the illness.
‘The consensus is that this will peak at the end of April and the beginning of May, we know who is most vulnerable and we need to cocoon these people. If people are sensible now they will reduce the risk for everyone.’
Durham university is also advising that students on placement in Italy should return home and that large scale conferences and events should be cancelled.
In Denmark, all schools have been closed and Dr Hilary added many places were ‘waking up’ to the scale of the illness.
It announced a number of measures on Tuesday as the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Darlington, bringing the total number of cases in the North East to seven.
Pictured: Rory Stewart calls for tougher action to fight coronavirus on yesterday’s Good Morning Britain
The petition comes days after London mayoral candidate Rory Stewart demanded schools close to protect Britons.
The ex-cabinet minister said the government should not shy away from taking an economic hit if it means safeguarding the population.
He said the ‘short-term economic damage’ which would be caused by such measures would be ‘definitely worth doing if you can stave off the bigger spread’ of the virus in the UK.
The former Tory, who is running as an independent called for all medium and large sized gatherings to be banned and accused Boris Johnson of not being aggressive enough in fighting Covid-19.