Missing school ‘greater risk’ to children than coronavirus, experts warn
If face coverings are deemed necessary for all staff, then that move should be supported by everyone
Children are more at risk of long-term harm if they do not attend school than if they return to the classroom despite coronavirus, the UK’S chief medical officers have warned.
In a joint statement issued before schools in England reopen next month, the advisers said children have an “exceptionally low risk of dying” from Covid-19.
They said “very few, if any” children and teenagers would come to long-term harm from the virus solely by attending school, whereas there was a “certainty” of harm from not returning. The chief and deputy chief medical officers said schools were not a “common route of transmission” and teachers were not at any increased risk of dying compared with the general working-age population.
However, they noted that data from UK and international studies suggested transmission in schools may be largely staff-to-staff rather than pupils-to-staff.
“This reinforces the need to maintain social distancing and good infection control inside and outside classroom settings, particularly between staff members and between older children and adults,” they said.
The advisers noted that reopening schools has not been usually followed by a surge in Covid-19 transmission but it could push the reproduction rate above one.
If this happened it would require “local action and could mean societal choices” of imposing limitations on different parts of the community, they added.
Signatories to the consensus statement included England’s Professor Chris Whitty, Scotland’s Dr Gregor Smith, Wales’ Dr Frank Atherton and Northern Ireland’s Dr Michael Mcbride.
Prof Whitty said the joint statement was not guidance to parents but a laying-out of the evidence of “things we know with confidence, the things that we think are probable and also some of the things we don’t know”.
He said that there was “clear” evidence that the chances of children dying from Covid were “incredibly small” and they were less likely to get severe illness and end up in hospital due to the virus.
“So the reason that is important to lay out is the chances of children catching Covid and then getting long-term serious problems as a result of it, solely due to going to school, are incredibly small,” he said.
“They’re not zero but they’re incredibly small.
“The chances of many children being damaged by not going to school are incredibly clear and therefore the balance of risk is very strongly in favour of children going to school because many more are likely to be harmed by not going than harmed by going, even during this pandemic.”
Jo Bisset, ab organiser for children’s campaign group Us for Them Scotland, said: “It was always clear there would come a point where lockdown caused more harm than good. For children, that time has well passed.
“Now that schools are open they have to stay open – no localised closures and no mandatory wearing of masks.
Children across Scotland have already missed out on far too much – it is the responsibility of the Scottish Government to ensure they don’t miss out on any more.”
In Scotland, where pupils returned to classrooms this month, there has been criticism about safety measures and the ability to maintain social distancing.
A school in Edinburgh has told pupils and staff to wear face coverings while moving around between lessons.
Unison’s head of education, Jon Richards, said it was “vital” that school staff should be able to wear face coverings. adding: “It’s still unclear why government guidance won’t allow them, when they’re recommended for other workplaces.”
It is odd to see the debate over reopening schools raging in England as Scotland’s pupils prepare to go back for their second full week.
But while the Scottish and UK governments moving at different speeds has been a key theme of the response to this pandemic, we did yesterday get a sign of unity in the statement from all the UK’S chief medical officers.
The theme was that missing school is essentially worse for children than catching the virus.
They said “very few, if any” children and teenagers would come to long-term harm from Covid solely by attending school, but there was a “certainty” of harm from not being in class.
And that is a fair position. There is certainly nothing more important than the education of our youngsters and the work must start now to ensure that a generation are not left behind because of the extraordinary events of 2020.
Provided robust measures are in place, priority must continue to be given to keeping schools open, even if that means other closures as a result.
But while children are generally considered low risk, the same is not true for staff.
The chief medical officers yesterday pointed to data from UK and international studies suggesting transmission in schools may be largely staff to staff rather than pupils to staff.
This reinforces the need to maintain social distancing for adults along with good infection control inside and outside the classroom.
In fact it emerged over the weekend that an Edinburgh secondary school is asking pupils to wear face coverings from today.
A memo from James Gillespie’s High said that teachers and pupils “must wear face coverings indoors whilst moving around between classes”, a move which it said was based on feedback from pupils, parents and staff.
Nicola Sturgeon has already hinted that national guidance on the same “may well be updated”.
If that is deemed necessary, at the very least for staff, then it should receive full support. England’s Prof Chris Whitty also said yesterday it would be “foolish” to plan for winter on the basis of having a coronavirus vaccine available.
While we are living with the covid threat, allowing schools to stay open –both north and south of the Border –is absolutely vital.