PM faces backlash over pupils wearing masks
MPS demand that measure telling secondary school pupils to cover faces be dropped after Easter break
The Prime Minister is facing a Tory backlash over face masks in the classroom as 32 MPS demand that the measure is dropped after Easter. Boris Johnson has been told it is “not good enough” to impose the measure on millions of secondary pupils given that the evidence it will help prevent the spread of the virus is “pretty thin”. Signatories of the letter include Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, Steve Baker and Huw Merriman.
THE Prime Minister is facing a Tory backlash over face masks in the classroom as 32 MPS demand that the measure is dropped after Easter.
Boris Johnson has been told it is “not good enough” to impose the measure on millions of secondary pupils given that the evidence it will help prevent the spread of the virus is “pretty thin”.
It comes amid rising pressure on the Government over its latest guidance on masks, which says they should be worn by secondary pupils in lessons as well as anywhere indoors at school where it is not possible to socially distance.
This goes much further than the earlier official recommendations. During the autumn term, guidance from the Department for Education said that face masks should be worn in corridors and communal areas in parts of the country in Tier 2 or Tier 3. Elsewhere, it was left to the discretion of head teachers.
Mr Johnson said the new measure will be in place at least for the rest of this term to offer “even greater reassurance” that face-to-face teaching is safe.
Signatories of the letter include Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the powerful 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, Steve Baker, deputy chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, Huw Merriman, Philip Davies and Greg Smith.
The group of MPS have urged Mr Johnson to ensure that face masks are no longer a requirement in the classroom following the Easter break. “Requiring children to wear masks in the classroom will damage their education and inhibit their communication with teachers and with their peers,” Sir Graham told The Daily Telegraph.
“The psychological damage being done to young people is immense.”
He said Covid rates were dropping rapidly while at the same time an “ever larger percentage of the population” is being protected through the vaccine, so “after Easter we should be able to look forward to a very low-risk environment and a sensible reduction in measures”.
Officials at the DFE say that while masks are strongly encouraged, it is not a legal requirement and pupils should not be “denied education” as a result of non-compliance. But earlier this week, The Daily Telegraph revealed that some schools are telling pupils they will need to sit at the back of the class and will be banned from eating lunch with their friends if they refuse to wear a mask.
Mr Davies, MP for Shipley, said: “It is basically being done on the basis of a precautionary principle – even if there is no evidence we will do it just in case. That is just not good enough.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of medics, academics, teachers and parents signed an open letter to the Education Secretary urging him to either publish evidence that shows face masks in the classroom are necessary or reverse the measure.
The letter, organised by the parent campaign group Usforthem, said the measure has been introduced “without evaluation of potential harms”.
A Government spokesman said it will review guidance on face masks in the classroom by Easter, adding: “We will follow the best available scientific and public health advice at the time.”