AS THE Prime Minister says that it is safe to send children back to school this week, the coronavirus rate per 100,000 in Wokingham borough has gone past 500 for the first time.
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme this morning, Boris Johnson warned that restrictions in England may be toughened in the coming days.
He also said that the Government “could not have reasonably predicted” the new strain of Covid-19 that is more easily transmissible.
Yesterday, unions representing teachers united to condemn the plan to reopen classrooms to all pupils, rather than switching to online learning.
NASUWT–The Teachers’ Union General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “There is genuine concern that schools and colleges are not able to reopen fully and safely at this time.”
At the moment, secondary schools will have two weeks of online learning, with lateral testing introduced from January 18. The exceptions will be for Years 11 and 13, who will return on January 11, and children of key workers.
Primary schools are expected to open as normal.
Mr Johnson said: “Schools are safe. Very, very important to stress that and that the threats to – the risk to kids, to young people is really very, very, very small. Indeed, as the scientists continually attest, the risk to staff is very small. But of course the benefits of education are so huge, overwhelmingly we want to keep our young people, keep children in education because that’s the best thing for them.”
As to whether they would remain open, Mr Johnson said: “The evidence is not clear. Because we’re looking at Tier 4, and what happens in Tier 4 areas. And we need to see whether those extra steps that we’ve all taken in Tier 4 areas are going to work in driving the virus down.”
Some parents have expressed concerns over the reopening plan.
“I understand people’s frustrations, I understand people’s anxieties. But there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority,” Mr Johnson said.
Earlier in the programme, Professor Sir Mark Walport, a government chief scientific advisor, said that the new Covid-19 strain was transmitting more readily in younger age groups.
“it is going to be very, very difficult to keep it under control without much tighter social distancing measures,” he said, adding that this could include schools.
“We know that transmission occurs within schools. We know that a person between 12 and 16 is seven times more likely than others in a household to bring the infection into a household and we know that there was a small but a dip in the amount of transmission in school children after the half term which then went up again when they went back.”
And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a new national lockdown, saying that the virus was clearly out of control. He told Sky News: “It’s no good the prime minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week or two or three. That delay has been the source of so many problems.
“So I say bring in those restrictions now, national restrictions within the next 24 hours. That has to be the first step to controlling the virus.”
Across the country, there were 54,990 positive tests in the UK, of which 49,248 were in England. Sadly, there were 454 deaths, bringing the total number to 75,024.
In Wokingham borough there were 113, down from yesterday’s 128 cases reported, bringing the total to date to 4,833.
The current weekly rate per 100,000 population is now 500.8, up from yesterday’s 467.5. On September 29, the rate was 23.4 people, while on November 30, it was 112.2.
By comparison, the rate per 100,000 in England is 476.9.
Similarly high figures have been reported across Berkshire, which was placed into Tier 4 Stay At Home restrictions on Sunday, December 20.
Slough, which has been at the highest level of restrictions since the Tier system was introduced in December, reported 145, and its rate per 100,000 is at 896.8 – this is a big jump from yesterday’s reported figure of 781.1 and Thursday’s figure of 585.1.
Windsor and Maidenhead reported 86 cases, down from yesterday’s 176 cases, and has a rate of 610.9, up slightly from yesterday’s 587.8 people per 100,000.
Reading had 114, a drop from yesterday’s 127 positive tests and its rate per 100,000 people is 503.2 up from yesterday’s 454.3. It has reported 5,596 cases so far.
Bracknell Forest had 142 cases, down from 151 yesterday, and its rate per 100,000 people is 727.1 up from yesterday’s 659.3.
West Berkshire reported 80 cases, up from yesterday’s high of 35cases. Its rate per 100,000 people is now 366.7, up from yesterday’s 337.6.
On New Year’s Eve, the Royal Berkshire Hospital announced a pause in non-elective surgery as pressure on healthcare services increase.
According to the latest data, up to Sunday, December 27, 34 patients were admitted to the RBH, bringing the seven-day total to 152 – an increase of 83, or 120.3%. There are 18 patients on ventilation.
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, which includes Frimley Park and Wexham Park Slough, have 28 patients on ventilation, and 487 patients admitted.
