COVID: Conservatives will have ‘blood on their hands’ over schools re-opening plan, Peterborough Green councillor and teacher claims

Nicola Day, member for Orton Waterville on the city council, tweeted: “The Tories have already failed schools: 1) A refusal to implement a two week circuit breaker 2) Not closing schools earlier in the run-up to Xmas. If they insist on fully opening schools in January they will not only have blood on their hands, they’ll be up to their necks in it.”

Plans to re-open schools in January has sparked a fierce national debate, with some scientists and politicians demanding a delay to pupils returning following the Christmas break, while others believe it will be detrimental for children to be outside the classroom.

The Government has announced that 1,500 military personnel will help schools in England to introduce mass testing of pupils when they begin to return.

All primary and Year 11 and 13 pupils are due to return next week, with the remaining secondary school pupils set to return the week after.

Scientists are currently investigating whether the new variant of coronavirus spreads more easily in children.

On December 15, Peterborough City Council said 200 staff and 2,565 pupils from a total of 40 schools were self-isolating in Peterborough.

This compared to 1,328 pupils and 39 members of staff a week earlier, with 33 schools affected.

Moreover, a total of 125 staff and 1,785 pupils in the rest of Cambridgeshire were self-isolating.

Peterborough and Cambridgeshire currently in Tier 4 for restrictions due to the coronavirus - the highest level possible, while more than 40,000 cases have been recorded in the UK in a single day for the first time.

Cllr Day is a secondary school teacher in Peterborough, both part-time at one school and as a supply teacher in other schools.

She told the Peterborough Telegraph: “Peterborough is now in Tier 4 with Covid infection rates increasing. By the end of last term school age children had the highest infection rates of any of the age demographics analysed by the ONS (Office for National Statistics).

“Primary, secondary and higher education age groups all have more than 2,000 cases per 100,000, much more than any other demographic.

“Secondary-age pupils have by far the highest rate of all age groups and the highest increase in multiples since September. Cases having increased 75 times since then. As a secondary school teacher I have seen the impact that Covid has had on schools with levels of both staff and student absence escalating in the final few weeks of last term.

“Experts in the science of how the pandemic spreads argue that Tier 4 restrictions are not enough to control the spread of the new Covid-19 variants. They believe schools must be closed.

“Instead, the Government is asking teachers and support staff to teach in poorly-ventilated classrooms, with limited possibilities for social distancing and sometimes without adequate PPE.

“The Green Party calls on the Government consider keeping schools closed, at least until mid-January. It appears the pandemic is currently at the peak of its second wave.

“Until the situation has improved it makes no sense for children and teachers to return to school. Keeping schools closed for an extended period will protect the NHS now and may assist in reducing the spread of the virus.

“With the exception only of those who cannot learn at home (vulnerable children, children of key workers) schools should return to online teaching until it is safe for them to re-open once more.”