Schools banned from requiring masks unless Zahawi says otherwise

[RocketFire7]

Interesting news this morning that Nadhim Zahawi has banned schools or local public health chiefs from requiring masks without his personal approval.

Personally I think this is good news as there was a concern that individual headteachers may cause issues for political reasons.

www.thesun.co.uk/news/politics/17385033/plan-to-stop-kids-being-back-into-masks/

@herecomesthsun

Well, the government seem to be basing their decision-making on saving Johnson as Prime Minister and placating Us For Them.

I don't trust them one bit on this.

Why not let heads and teachers take responsibility for the safety of their pupils.

Totally agree!

@walksen

I can't see how this is a real issue other then headline news for the government in operation save Boris.

Masks have only ever been recommended in schools and as such their use is unenforceable anyway and always has been.

You only have to think about what happened when masks in shops was changed to recommended to get a sense of how many people are wearing them in schools.

There is a difference here. Dc were wearing one in class but has been dropped.

Sounds very micromanagey.

Good, those who want to wear masks can choose to do so it they wish and others can choose not to.

To PPs who said it was authoritarian to ban headteachers from insisting on masks surely it’s much more authoritarian for headteachers to insist everyone wear masks rather than allowing each individual to make their own choice?

@LilyPond2

Whichever way you look at it, the government's approach to mask wearing in schools makes no sense whatsoever! If the government doesn't believe that mask wearing in schools reduces transmission, why did it order people to wear masks in schools for the past few weeks?? On the other hand, if the government does believe mask wearing in schools reduces transmission, why attempt to stop it simultaneously in all schools when different areas are at different stages of the Omicron wave and in some areas infection rates are still rising rather than falling?

Politics.

Being seen to do something, choosing a restriction that doesn't involve any public spending and pushes any costs onto schools and pupils, and picking one of the groups of people with least autonomy because it was evident that the state has been losing control of the population wrt observance.

The evidence for the benefits of masks in schools out weighing the negatives was patchy, but these factors were all important enough to outweigh that.

There are good publications demonstrating that an effective mask such as ffp2 minimises transmission

But our kids are not wearing FFP2 masks!

I’ve just finished 3 weeks of invigilating mock exams. Students are allowed to remove masks if they want. As they’ve gone on , more are wearing masks.
There’s a noticeable mask check when someone coughs too.

My uni had all upgraded from cloth/surgical masks to FFP2s when we went back yesterday. No conscious agreement but interesting.

@Blubells

There are good publications demonstrating that an effective mask such as ffp2 minimises transmission

But our kids are not wearing FFP2 masks!

Yes, these are quite separate points.

@Blubells

There are good publications demonstrating that an effective mask such as ffp2 minimises transmission

But our kids are not wearing FFP2 masks!

That’s a different argument to the masks are ineffective narrative. Masks aren’t ineffective.

Our school are keeping them and I’m very happy and fully support.
These MPs have their children in private schools so will have the space to socially distance and they have the money to buy air filters.
Let’s not kid ourselves that this decision was based on science, we all know he’s running scared and trying everything to appease his party.

@MarshmallowFondant

Can you all please send Zahawi to have a wee word in Sturgeon's ear please as our children here have been wearing masks in schools since August 2020.

Don't bother. Masks in schools help keep infections lower. Cases are rising in primary school. Less so in secondary. Everything helps. I am my children are still wearing masks.

glad

I think its disgusting the way the government are letting children get infected. So so many children now suffering from long covid.

@Blubells

There are good publications demonstrating that an effective mask such as ffp2 minimises transmission

But our kids are not wearing FFP2 masks!

my teen is

So’s mine @herecomesthsun

My school still asks for masks to be worn. It's not political posturing by the head, it's because we have more Covid that at any point in the pandemic and numbers are still shooting up.

@MarshmallowFondant

Can you all please send Zahawi to have a wee word in Sturgeon's ear please as our children here have been wearing masks in schools since August 2020.

This I wish he would apply it to all of the UK .

Having just seen how fast the new variant has spread through a classroom (75% of occupants testing positive in 3 days) I think needing permission instead of allowing HT to make decisions on the ground as needed is a risk.

I'd say that masks shouldn't be worn the whole time but certainly should be able to mandate for a short period where local need dictates that. That's immediately without waiting for a minister to read his emails and reply!

Having just seen how fast the new variant has spread through a classroom (75% of occupants testing positive in 3 days)

Do you honestly think masks, especially how they worn by schoolchildren and how they're taken off during lunch and snacks etc, are REALLY going to stop omicron?!

@Blubells I thoughts masks were always not required in mocks.
Personally I woud rather the Govt trusted the Headteachers on the coalface to request marks in communal areas maybe during an outbreak. I would quite like my kids teachers to remain well so they can teach as year 13 and 11 .
The level of disrespect ftom the Govt and others during this pandemic quite shocking.

So invigilators aren't required to wear them so I don't imagine kids need to. My dds definitely didn't during their mocks.