Why we haven’t shut the schools

When we look at all of the interventions, we looked at the ones that had the biggest impact first. School closures is definitely a bit lower down the list than some of the ones that we’ve announced. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t do anything, it would have an effect. 

But it has all sorts of complicated effects as well, including potentially leading to children being with grandparents and so on. And, of course, also causing an enormous problem, not just for the workforce generally, but for the workforce in the NHS as well. So it’s a complicated one and all I can do is give this sort of scientific advice on that.

Most popular

Katja Hoyer

How the Magdeburg Christmas market attack will change Germany

In terms of the effect, I think as you look across the world, for example, Singapore hasn’t closed schools, it’s introduced some different measures in schools.