Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Why schools haven’t shut yet in response to coronavirus

One of the big sources of confusion in the Government’s latest advice on coronavirus is about schools. You don’t have to go far on Twitter or Facebook to find memes like this one, suggesting Boris Johnson is wrong not to order teachers and pupils to follow the rest of the country:

Screen_Shot_2020-03-17_at_15.56.17.png

Angry pupils and parents are piling in, calling for schools to shut their doors. MPs are being inundated with calls to intervene. There are reports that some children are already being taken out of school by their parents, while other schools are checking kids’ temperatures when they arrive for classes to determine whether they are allowed to stay or not. For some, all this is proof that the Tories aren’t taking things seriously. 

But while the Government hasn’t necessarily helped itself by failing to fully clarify its apparently contradictory advice, there is a simple reason why schools aren’t shut, at least not yet.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in