Politics

No end in sight for UK lockdown – with schools unlikely to reopen after Easter


Rishi Sunak refused to say when lockdown will be lifted – as calls grew for schools to reopen as soon as possible.

The Chancellor said a review would go ahead but restrictions are likely to be extended. Parents fear kids’ education will suffer.

Meanwhile a Tory MP has also demanded schools be reopened as soon as safe.

As ministers came under pressure to tell parents whether their children can return to the classroom, Robert Halfon said he was worried some kids will be left behind because of the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

Health chiefs insist it is “premature” to say when the restrictions will be lifted and they are likely to extend beyond next week.

And Mr Sunak announced the review of the ­lockdown will go ahead on Sunday, more than three weeks after it was imposed, but refused to put a time on when an exit strategy will start.

It is all but certain that schools will not be opening after the Easter break.

Robert Halfon said he was worried some kids will be left behind
Robert Halfon said he was worried some kids will be left behind

But heads and MPs have said that, while it would be unsafe to return in coming weeks, they would hope to be able to open fully before the end of the summer term in July.

As the number of UK deaths rose by 938 to 7,097, Mr Halfon – chair of the Education Select Committee – said: “Obviously I want schools to open as soon as possible because I’m really worried about what’s going to happen to left-behind kids.

“If they’re stuck at home they’re potentially going to suffer enormously.

“Education is the most important thing we can give to children and young people and it’s vital that schools open as soon as the science allows. It has to be a number one priority for the Government.”

Mr Halfon spoke after review from University College London last week cast doubt on the effectiveness of school closures in halting the disease.

Children of key workers take part in a Joe Wickes exercise class during school activities
Children of key workers take part in a Joe Wickes exercise class during school activities

A former World Health ­Organisation executive yesterday revealed his four-step strategy to ease Britain out of lockdown.

Professor Karol Sikora said the first step would be to let small businesses open again on April 27, with all schools following from May 4.

But unions have stressed the safety of teachers, pupils and the community – must come first. Chris Keates, acting general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “Everyone is anxious to return to normality as soon as possible, but decisions to either strengthen or loosen the current restrictions must always be governed by the medical and scientific evidence

“Political or business considerations must never be allowed to override the safety of pupils, school staff and the wider community.”

And Whitehall sources insisted no date had been set to reopen schools in England, and that a date would only emerge once scientific advice concluded it was safe for them to do so.


Mr Sunak said: “We committed there would be a review in and around three weeks, that review will be based on the evidence and data, which will only be ­available next week.

“I think rather than speculate about the future, I think we should focus ­seriously on the here and now.”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is standing in for Boris Johnson as the PM is treated from Covid-19, will chair a COBRA meeting with the devolved administrations to discuss the response to the lockdown.

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said evidence from other ­countries suggests the peak remains “for some time” before a reduction occurs.

He added: “I think it’s ­reasonable to say that the ­lockdown is going to need to continue for a while and we don’t need to take this decision at the beginning of next week.”

Karol Sikora Chief medical advisor
Karol Sikora Chief medical advisor

The Welsh government has already decided to extend the restrictions by at least another week.

First Minister Mark Drakeford told a virtual meeting of the Welsh Assembly: “We will not throw away the gains we have made, and the lives we can save, by abandoning our efforts just as they begin to bear fruit.”

He revealed he had discussed the matter with ministers across the rest of the UK – which is widely expected to follow suit.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan warned on Wednesday the UK was “nowhere near” coming out of the ­lockdown and the peak of the illness was still a week-and-a-half away.

He said the capital was still seeing “too many people losing their lives” and must brace for restrictions to last much longer.

Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence Angela McLean
Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence Angela McLean

Health minister Edward Argar admitted “I don’t know” when the ­lockdown would end, with the key factor being when new cases each day “peak” and start to fall.

The authorities face more immediate concerns over the four-day Easter weekend, with the expected warm weather prompting fears that parks and beaches will again be packed.

Experts say any easing of social distancing measures relies on widespread testing – which Britain has fallen woefully behind on.

Ministers are reportedly preparing to issue a plea to UK industry to build a home antibody test that would help exit the lockdown.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has promised 100,000 daily tests by the end of the month so that all stretched NHS staff who are self-isolating can be checked for the virus.

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Coronavirus outbreak

The Department of Health said that a new testing laboratory set-up by ­AstraZeneca, GSK and Cambridge University would aim to carry out 30,000 tests a day by May.

It could take weeks before the ­slowdown in infections turns into a fall in daily deaths.

New daily confirmed cases increased to 5,492 as the number of people tested in the previous 24 hours increased to 12,959. This compares to 3,634 new cases as of Tuesday, 3,802 on Monday and 5,903 on Sunday.

Researchers believe the coronavirus lockdown is working.

Data from a tracker app suggests the number of people aged 20-69 who are reporting symptoms of the disease has fallen from 1.9 million to 1.4 million across the UK.





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