These mixed messages have left families in a quandary

The Prime Minister’s clarion call for children to return to school next week may have been loud and clear but parents remain confused about the safety of the classroom in the post-covid era. Boris Johnson reiterated that Britain has a “moral duty” to reopen schools in September, insisting the science now shows it is safe to do so.

But, the mixed messaging around the risk of the reinfection (R) rate rising as the new term begins – potentially leading to a second lockdown – appears to have left families in a quandary.

No better is this demonstrated than in the latest Office for National Statistics data which reveal that while nine in 10 adults say it is “very likely or fairly likely that the children or young people in their household will return to school or college”, more than half of parents (58 per cent) are “very worried or somewhat worried” about it. That figure is barely down on the 62 per cent who had similar concerns at the end of term in mid-july, before many lockdown measures were eased.

Most reported being worried about their children catching the coronavirus at school or college. This is despite the latest research revealing that schools reopening in June did not lead to a single child being admitted to hospital with Covid-19.

New figures from Public Health England show that despite more than 1.6million youngsters returning to education, just 70 children tested positive for the virus, and none needed hospital treatment. In contrast, 128 staff members were diagnosed with the virus, and PHE said most of the transmission had come from adults. A survey of 7,000 teachers by the Teacher Tapp app found that 35 per cent of those over 50 said they did not feel safe returning.

Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said yesterday: “It is safe for children to return to school,” stressing that pupils are more likely to be harmed by not returning to class than by coronavirus.

But why doesn’t the public seem to believe the Government? Part of the answer seems to once again stem from No 10’s reliance on the science – which remains somewhat contradictory.

Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer, said yesterday that children are more likely to be hit by a bus on their way to school than catch the virus in the classroom, backing up Mr Johnson’s claim that the risk to children is “very, very, very, very small indeed”.

Only on Sunday, however, the country’s chief medical officers, led by Prof Chris Whitty, warned that reopening schools could push up the R rate above the critical level of one, which would lead to local lockdown measures. It came after Kingspark School in Dundee closed after an outbreak in which 17 staff and multiple pupils tested positive.

Pointing out there were “no risk-free options”, the joint statement suggested that pubs, restaurants and shops may have to close again. “This could mean societal choices that weigh up the implications of imposing limitations on different parts of the community and the economy,” it read.

Yet the Government has consistently been at odds with any suggestion there should be a second national lockdown – following a tightening of restrictions in local areas including Leicester, Oldham, Blackburn and parts of Pendle, Wigan, Rossendale and Darwen.

Back in April, the PM said the R rate must stay below one for the UK to avoid a second virus peak – but his stance appears to have softened.

In an interview with The Telegraph in July, he described the option as akin to a “nuclear deterrent”, saying he “certainly” does not want another blanket shutdown “and nor do I think we will be in that position again”.

There also appears to be confusion over what Prof Whitty described at the weekend as a “real problem” with coronavirus this winter. While Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, has hailed “promising” news on Oxford University’s experimental vaccine research, Prof Whitty has said there is “little chance” of a breakthrough before Christmas, warning that hospitals could be overwhelmed. But with research suggesting that 91 per cent of people in England live in neighbourhoods that have not had a single case of coronavirus in a month, could Downing Street afford to be a little less circumspect?

According to Karol Sikora, professor of medicine at the University of Buckingham, the Government should “stop obsessing” over the R rate and the potential for a winter crisis, and encourage the public to get back to normal.

“The comms on this have been awful and inconsistent. The virus seems to be getting less severe – there are fewer hospital admissions and fewer deaths,” he said.

“We are going to have to learn to live with coronavirus like we do the common cold. There’s no second wave as such coming – we should be through this by next spring.”

Reopening England’s 32,000 schools looks likely to herald the start of a “new” normal, allowing more parents to return to work.

Yet once again the Government appears to have lost marks on its muddled coronavirus messaging.