SCHOOL TESTS WAR Call for pupils to receive weekly checks for Covid But ministers say existing plan is safe enough
SCHOOLS should conduct weekly coronavirus tests to open in September, says the Children’s Commissioner.
But ministers dismissed the suggestion as Boris Johnson set himself on a collision course with teachers and union leaders over the planned reopening of classrooms next month.
Britain recorded its highest daily increase in infections since June yesterday – 1,062.
It is the first time the figure has gone above 1,000 for two months, and 304 higher than the 758 new cases reported on Saturday.
Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, claimed testing staff and pupils should be “part and parcel of what running a safe school within
DEMANDS Anne Longfield these very difficult times means.” She said the tests should be carried out regularly “and that may well be weekly”.
Kate Green, the Shadow Education Secretary, said the Government should do more to support teachers by “making sure we’ve got a really robust test and trace system in place”.
Avis Gilmore, deputy general secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Robust track, trace and test alongside health and safety checks in schools and colleges are necessary.”
But Nick Gibb, the Schools Minister, rejected the pleas for such regular Covid-19 testing.
He said: “All the advice we’ve had is the measures that we’re putting in place, the hierarchy of controls about hygiene and so on and bubbles [small groups] within schools, is the most effective method of reducing the risk of trans
mission of the virus.” There are around 8.8 million school pupils in England, 425,200 teachers, plus teaching assistants and other staff members.
The UK’s total test capacity is estimated at 340,000 per day – with only around 165,000 tests processed daily last week.
In the case of a local lockdown, the Prime Minister is thought to favour ordering pubs and shops
to close so schools can stay open. Boris Johnson said there was a “moral duty” to get children back into schools in September.
Mr Johnson insisted we
“now know enough to reopen schools
to all pupils safely”. Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty has warned rules on other sectors would have to be tightened when pupils return. Prof Whitty is among those to have said the UK has
“probably reached near the limit” of what can be done to reopen society safely.
Schools in Scotland start a “phased return” from tomorrow. The 700,000 children set to return to classrooms have been warned not to hug or high-five.
Corridors will be made one-way and wash stations and temporary classrooms will be installed in libraries, gyms and dining halls.
Half a year’s pupils will attend in the morning and half in the afternoon.
This timetable was suggested for English schools but Education Secretary Gavin Williamson ruled it out.
A government spokesman said:
“NHS Test and Trace is working, and local action to tackle outbreaks and keep people safe is a crucial part of the national service.
“We are rolling out more dedicated ring-fenced teams of contact tracers, who are trained health professionals, to work intensively with health protection teams on a local area.”
Testing should be part and parcel of what running a safe school means
ANNE LONGFIELD THE CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER