Schools must reopen as soon as possible

Scotland’S national clinical director Jason leitch is seldom the bearer of good news. Speaking on nicola Sturgeon’s daily BBc slot yesterday, Professor leitch admitted that efforts to halt the spread of the virus have ‘stalled’.

the curve, he conceded, was ‘flatter than we would have hoped and that is all down to the new variant’.

this is likely to be the decisive factor in whether or not schools begin to reopen on February 22, as originally promised by the First Minister.

Yesterday, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said ‘our approach must be a cautious one’, seven words that will carry an ominous ring for parents. Is the ground being softened up to announce that a return to classrooms is being postponed?

no one doubts the primacy of public health concerns, least of all parents who want their children to be in school – but only when it is safe. this is not the first time they have been left in the lurch.

of course, ministers sometimes have to take last-minute decisions – but too low a priority is being assigned to keeping parents in the loop.

It is not the case that parenting has become easier during lockdown. In fact, the opposite is true. Parents working from home must balance their workload against caring for their offspring, while those still working on-site need to be able to plan for childcare. Short notice is no notice at all.

Mums and dads are struggling right now but they are not the worst affected by school closures. children are coming up on a year of mainly distance learning, shut out of their classrooms, deprived of interaction with their friends and typically getting less physical exercise. It is for their benefit that ministers must find a way to reopen schools as promptly and safely as possible.

another matter that could do with some promptness is the clarification of the rules on quarantine hotels. announced by the First Minister earlier this week, we are still waiting to hear specifics about scope and enforcement.

Yesterday, Miss Freeman said details would be ‘finalised in time’. time’s up, Health Secretary. We need clarity now.