LONDON (UK) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said reopening schools in September was a socially, economically and morally important. He stressed that schools would be able to operate safely despite the pandemic, which is ongoing.
His comments came after a study earlier this month which predicted a second wave of COVID-19 in Britain if schools were opened without an improved test-and-trace system.
Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Johnson said restarting schools was a national priority. He was quoted by another newspaper as telling a meeting on Thursday, that schools would be the last institutions to be shut down in local lockdowns in the future.
Johnson wrote, “Keeping our schools closed a moment longer than absolutely necessary is socially intolerable, economically unsustainable and morally indefensible.”
The prime minister warned there would be a bigger threat on the country if children miss out on education.
He wrote, “This pandemic isn’t over, and the last thing any of us can afford to do is become complacent. But now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so.”
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.