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Boris Johnson urges parents to send children back to school in September

The Prime Minister said the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is 'very small' and 'it is far more damaging' for a children to remain at home in the long-term.

The Manc - 24th August 2020

Boris Johnson is encouraging parents to send children back to school in September – emphasising the risk of contracting coronavirus is “very small” and that it is “far more damaging” to remain at home.

The Prime Minister has backed up the official advice of England’s top medical experts – including Chris Whitty – who have claimed that returning to the classroom next month is both safe and necessary.

The Department of Education in England has given schools the green light to welcome back pupils from the beginning of the autumn term as normal; hoping to finally steady a turbulent period for learning facilities across the country.

According to a Public Health England (PHE) study published on Sunday (24 August), one million children attended pre-school and primary schools in England in June 2020.

70 children and 128 staff were infected in outbreaks of the virus – which PHE said were most likely caused by staff members.

According to PHE research, only two outbreaks apparently involve students infecting other students.

In an official statement released on Sunday, the Prime Minister said: “I have previously spoken about the moral duty to reopen schools to all pupils safely, and I would like to thank the school staff who have spent the summer months making classrooms Covid-secure in preparation for a full return in September.”

“We have always been guided by our scientific and medical experts, and we now know far more about coronavirus than we did earlier this year.

“As the chief medical officer has said, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small and it is far more damaging for a child’s development and their health and wellbeing to be away from school any longer.

“This is why it’s vitally important that we get our children back into the classroom to learn and to be with their friends. Nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school.”