PM thanks teachers after ‘emotional’ school return
BORIS Johnson has praised parents and teachers as he welcomed the return of millions of children to the classroom in England under the first easing of coronavirus restrictions.
The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference that the return to schools marked a “big day and an emotional day” for millions of families across England.
He said: “We all know that the education of our children is so important that the greater risk now is keeping them out of school for a day longer.
“I want to thank all the teachers who have got their schools ready and who have been teaching throughout the period – whether that is remotely or in person. Your work has been astonishing.”
Mr Johnson also thanked parents who have been teaching their children at home and said: “We all know that the burden has disproportionately fallen on women – often holding down jobs and providing childcare at the same time.” He said the Government’s job was to ensure pupils not only catch up on lost learning but “take the biggest possible step forwards with a concerted national programme for educational recovery”. The Prime Minister said that thanks to the “huge national effort to keep kids at home” the spread of coronavirus has been reduced significantly.
“So, today we’ve been able to take that crucial first step on what we hope is our cautious but irreversible road map to freedom,” Boris Johnson said.
Mr Johnson said more than a third of the UK population have now received a coronavirus vaccine.
He warned the number of patients being admitted to hospital with Covid19 each day is eight times higher than “the lows of last summer” – it is “more vital than ever” to follow the rules.
Mr Johnson also said that vaccine passports for international travel will be “a feature of our life in the future”, .
The Prime Minister acknowledged that documents providing proof that someone has received a coronavirus jab “raise all sorts of issues”.
He told a Downing Street press conference: “It’s a novel one for our country. We’ve never had this type of question before within the domestic UK economy, within our own home market.
“Though clearly vaccine passports as an idea are not new when it comes to international travel.
“There’s been certificates for things like yellow fever and other diseases in the past, and I’m sure that that will be a feature of our life in the future.”
Mr Johnson said there are “some complexities” regarding how such a scheme will affect unvaccinated people such as children and those “not medically able” to receive a jab.
He added: “We’re looking at what they’re thinking of in other countries and we’ll be making sure we report back to everybody as soon as we possibly can.”
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is heading up a Government review into “Covid status certificates”.
It is understood he is considering the possibility of the NHS coronavirus app featuring a digital health passport, which would carry details of vaccinations and negative test results.
Proof of a recent negative coronavirus test or having been vaccinated could then be used to attend events held within the UK or to gain entry to foreign countries, depending on border rules.
A number of pupils could be forced to return home to self-isolate over the next fortnight while the testing programme gets under way, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries has said.
The return of secondary school and college pupils is being staggered this week to allow for mass testing.
Dr Harries told the briefing a “larger number of children” could be out of class in the coming weeks as secondary school students are being asked to take Covid-19 tests on site as they return to school. It will “take time” for families to get used to their children being tested for coronavirus, she added.