Will kids get routine coronavirus tests at school?
As teachers and pupils in Scotland ready themselves for their return to school, Boris Johnson has reiterated his desire to open all schools in England in September.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to a school in London, the PM said: ‘It’s not right that kids should spend more time out of school, it’s much much better for their health and mental wellbeing, obviously their educational prospects, if everybody comes back to school full-time in September.
‘It’s our moral duty as a country to make sure that happens.’ he continued, emphasising how important it is for everyone to work together to ensure schools are ‘Covid secure.’
Could routine testing be part of the new secure measures?
Will kids and teachers get tested for coronavirus at school?
It is understood there are currently no plans for routine testing in schools, however, the Children’s Commissioner for England has thrown her support behind the idea.
Anne Longfield told Times Radio she supports the idea of routine testing in schools, suggesting tests could be conducted ‘weekly.’
‘I’m not an expert in testing, but I would say that regular means weekly,’ she said.
‘It needs to be as regular as it needs to be to ensure the infection is caught and identified as soon as possible, and then the tracking system can move on from that.’
However, schools minister Nick Gibb rejected calls for routine testing, instead saying the Government has been advised to only test when people show symptoms.
Will children have to wear face masks at school?
Students will not have to wear face coverings in a school setting.
Gibb told the Today programme last week that the decision to allow children to go without a covering, despite over 11’s now having to wear them in most public indoor spaces, was ‘led by science.’
‘Within a school, of course, you’re not with people who you don’t meet normally. You see the same children every day, so there are different circumstances,’ he explained.
‘When you are on public transport, for example, where you’re encountering people you’ve not come across or met before, that’s why you have different rules.’
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