In Parliament yesterday, Reading East MP Matt Rodda raised the outbreak of coronavirus at Willow Bank Infant School in a question to the health secretary.
Mr Rodda wanted more details from Matt Hancock over the government’s preparations.
He asked: “Following the outbreak at Willow Bank Infant School, will the Secretary of State update the House on the work he is undertaking with the Department for Education, local authorities and schools to help contain the outbreak?”
And Mr Hancock said that schools should not be shutting up shop unless there was good reason to do so.
“The broader point is that it is very important that schools do not close if they are not advised to close. Again, it is about following the medical advice. If there is no epidemiological reason to close, a school should not be closing.
“As of 11 am today (Tuesday, March 3), I understand that 10 schools are closed. Seven of the 14 schools that were reported yesterday as having closed are now open, so this is a dynamic situation. The DFE is doing a fantastic job, and I pay tribute to my right hon. Friend the Minister for School Standards, who has been working night and day to make sure that, where possible, children are at school.”
Although Mr Rodda’s constituency includes parts of Woodley and Earley, Willow Bank is in Theresa May’s Maidenhead constituency.
