Boris Johnson urges British parents to send children back to school

Prime minister says it is government’s ‘moral duty’ to reopen schools, more than five months after coronavirus pandemic put classes on pause

Children more likely to be harmed by being away from school than from Covid-19 exposure, UK health officials say

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits The Discovery School in West Malling, England in July. Photo: Evening Standard via AP

Published: 7:56am, 24 Aug 2020Updated: 8:12am, 24 Aug 2020

Britain’s prime minister is asking parents to set aside their fears and send their children back to school next month when schools in Britain fully reopen for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut then down more than five months ago.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was the government’s “moral duty” to reopen the schools as he stressed that authorities now know more about Covid-19 than they did when the country went into lockdown on March 23.

Johnson’s comments came hours after Britain’s top public health officials issued a joint statement saying that children were more likely be harmed by staying away from school than from being exposed to Covid-19.

“This is why it’s vitally important that we get our children back into the classroom to learn and to be with their friends,’’ Johnson said in a statement released late Sunday. “Nothing will have a greater effect on the life chances of our children than returning to school.”

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in London on August 10 to look at their Covid-19 measures. Photo: AP

The statements come as parents and teachers have express concerns about reopening schools amid fears that social distancing measures will not keep children safe. Unions have demanded that Johnson’s Conservative government make sure that social distancing measures and other protective procedures are in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.