The British government is under intense pressure to keep all schools in England closed for at least another two weeks due to compliance with coronavirus cases
The government, which oversees schools in England, has already decided to keep all schools in London closed next week to try to stop new infections. The unions are calling for the policy to be extended to the whole of England, expressing fears about the health of both teachers and children.
The UK on Saturday hit a daily record for new coronavirus infections – 57,725 – and according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University they have surpassed Italy once again as the worst country in Europe with nearly 75,000 deaths. -connected with COVID.
The fear is that the number of deaths will grow over the next few weeks. The UK has recorded the highest five new daily disease numbers over the last five days – all over 50,000 and doubling the daily number in just a few weeks.
Following an emergency meeting on Saturday, the National Education Union, which represents more than 450,000 education workers, called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government to move learning online for at least two weeks. He also told members they have a legal right not to work in an “unsafe environment” to speed up coronavirus cases, hospital admissions and deaths.
“We are doing our job as a union by telling our members that they have a legal right to refuse to work in dangerous situations that endanger the health and well-being of their school communities,” said Kevin Courtney, union coalition general secretary.
Another union representing teachers, the NASUWT, has also called for a nationwide move to remote education because of concerns about virus safety. His general secretary, Patrick Roach, said there was “a real concern” that schools and colleges could not open safely at this time.
“The NASUWT will not delay in taking appropriate steps to protect members with safety at risk due to the failure of employers or the government to ensure a safe working environment in schools and colleges,” he said.
The government’s own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies warned at its Dec. 22 meeting that schools would have to remain closed to bring down virus transmission rates.
The UK is struggling with a sharp spike in new cases due to a variety of new viruses that officials said could be up to 70% more infectious.
The variation has been particularly prevalent in London and the surrounding areas, prompting Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to reverse plans to allow some primary schools – those for children aged 11 and under – in the capital reopened as scheduled on January 4th.
Most other primary schools in England are still scheduled to open on Monday. The reopening of high schools has already been delayed for millions of students, with probationary year pupils expected to return on January 11 and others a week later.
With many British hospitals at or near full capacity, there are growing concerns about how the National Health Service will already treat people seeking treatment for COVID-19 after infected over the holidays. Field hospitals that were built last spring but were planted in moths are being re-dressed to admit patients.
In terms of inoculations, Britain began vaccinating over 80 people and healthcare workers on December 8 with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. Last week, the government approved another vaccine made by Oxford University and the drug giant AstraZeneca that is cheaper and easier to use.
The UK plans to ban vaccinations on Monday using the vaccine developed by Oxford University and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and has set a target of vaccinating 2 million people a week as soon as possible .
The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath in the south of England was one of the first to receive the newly approved vaccine on Saturday.
“So while it is very difficult, and staff are under pressure, the hospitals are coping and we are still caring for everyone who needs it,” said Dr George Findlay. , the trust ‘s chief medical officer.
More than a million people in the UK have already received their first injection of the Pfizer vaccine.
Britain plans to deliver second doses of both vaccines within 12 weeks of the 21 days originally planned, in order to speed up vaccinations across as many people as possible.
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