Sobeyondthehills posted:
"He is being condemned about closing Primary Schools late, because rather than going on TV and saying schools are safe and allowing thousands of children up and down the country to mix, he could have said, lets put a hold on schools for Monday, so that we can have a look at the figures tomorrow, because teachers and headteachers are saying it might not be safe. He could have done his whole speech that he did tonight, yesterday and parents up and down the country would still be in the same position, with the knowledge that their child hadn't mixed with another 30 bubbles."
@Sobeyondthehills I agree, that would have been a much better way of handling it. We've no way of knowing exactly why he prevaricated in that way, but it made the blow worse when he delivered the news after one day of schools reopening, then parents realised that they had to rethink their plans. In a sense though, the schools were/are safe for primary school children, as they seem to have a natural immunity and the cases in that age group are extremely rare. Also, although primary school kids might transmit the virus to their parents, most of those parents would be in their 20s or 30s, so again, would not be at high risk. So, considering the upheaval that shutting primary schools causes, due to childcare issues, I can see why the govt hesitated, but to imply they have blood on their hands is stretching the point. Parents of young children need to be aware they could be carrying Covid, whether they're in school or not, and older parents, along with grandparents, need to be extra cautious around young children, regardless of whether they are attending school.