LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the government would be taking decisions imminently on the possible closure of schools, with some already starting to send children home due to the spread of coronavirus.
Scotland will close its schools from Friday and the government in Edinburgh said there is no guarantee they will reopen before the summer. Wales has decided to follow suit.
Britain’s education minister Gavin Williamson is due to make a statement to parliament this afternoon.
Head-teachers have been forced to make unilateral decisions about closing as they struggle to cope amid rising staff and student absences.
This comes amid confusion about why schools are advised to stay open when the government has stepped up advice to curb social contact to try to slow the spread of the virus.
Britain has so far resisted pressure to follow Italy, France, and Spain by officially shutting schools. The government has said that school closures will not halt the outbreak and will deprive the healthcare system of workers who will be forced to look after their children.
“The House (of Commons) should expect further decisions to be taken imminently on schools and how to make sure that we square the circle both of making sure that we stop the spread of the disease but also of making sure that we relieve as much as we can pressure on our National Health Service,” Johnson told parliament.
Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union, said head-teachers were saying they were struggling to keep their institutions open beyond Friday. Between a tenth and a fifth of teachers are currently self-isolating but the number is rising, he said.
“It is becoming harder to sustain the staffing in those schools, some schools are having to send home year groups and some schools are starting to close,” he added.
If the government decides to close schools it will alter the lives and routines of almost 9 million children, more than 500,000 teachers and million of parents.
