Schools remain closed due to rise in infections

A NUMBER of schools across Leicester and Leicestershire announced yesterday they would not reopen this week due to rising coronavirus infections.

An increase in Covid-19 cases linked to a more infectious new strain of the disease prompted the National Education Union to advise primary teachers on Saturday not to return to school for the new term on Monday.

And a number of schools across Leicester, Leicestershire and the rest of the country decided to follow their advice and told parents they were staying closed hours before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced tougher lockdown measures.

Secondary schools had already delayed the start of term, but primary schools had been expected to reopen yesterday in the Leicestershire County Council area and today on the Leicester City Council patch.

The city council said before the Prime Minister’s announcement that it would support schools which had decided not to reopen.

Assistant city mayor for schools Councillor Elly Cutkelvin said: “We have said there is no expectation primary schools will fully reopen tomorrow morning, and have since been asked whether fines will be issued if schools decide to open and children do not attend. Throughout the pandemic we have not issued any fines where absences are related to child or parental anxiety regarding the transmission of the virus.

“Every case is assessed on an individual basis and will continue to be so. We are experiencing a new variant with many unknowns in respect of transmission in school-aged children. While in this situation we will not be issuing any fines in respect of absences in the coming weeks, or until we have a clearer picture of how the new variant spreads.”

The teachers’ union NASUWT has also called for schools to stay shut.

The news comes as Leicester and Leicestershire recorded the highest ever number of Covid-19 cases in 24 hours. Almost 850 new cases have been confirmed, with Leicester confirming 347 and 500 in the county.