Have your say: Should schools reopen after half-term?

Ross McGuinness
·1 min read
An empty classroom at Manor Park School and Nursery in Knutsford, Cheshire, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK in lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Schools were told to close at the beginning of this year. (PA)

Government health advisers say primary schools can reopen after half-term if coronavirus cases continue to fall, it has been reported.

Public Health England (PHE) said there is a “strong case” for schools to reopen in the middle of February, according to The Times.

The government is under increasing pressure to set out a timetable for schools to reopen.

Prime minister Boris Johnson said he wanted England’s schools to reopen “as fast as possible”.

Nationwide restrictions are set to be reviewed on 15 February, when the week-long half-term break begins.

The Times reported PHE found that outbreaks were recorded in 3% of primary schools during the autumn terms, with most cases among teachers rather than pupils.

“Everything we have learnt from the summer half-term and the recent autumn term indicates that they are safe to remain open,” said PHE chief schools investigator Shamez Ladhani.

Read more: ‘Contact lost with vulnerable children in pandemic’ as schools stay closed

Watch: What you can and can't do during England's lockdown

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