8th April 2020 14:51
By Blue Tutors
A team of scientists at University College London have said that the government should rethink the strategy of closing schools to help to combat the Coronavirus outbreak. Reported on the BBC, it’s claimed that keeping students away from school has little effect since they rarely get severe symptoms. However, children can still spread the virus which is why many countries have closed schools.
The UCL research looked at the spread of coronavirus as well as seasonal flu and the Sars outbreak in 2003. It showed that school closures have not affected the control of viruses in the past, and that, specifically with COVID-19, closing schools would only reduce the death rate by 2-4%, which is significantly less than the number reduced by social distancing.
Professor Russel Viner, one of the authors of the study, said that the government need to consider the negative impacts of closing schools alongside controlling the virus. Obviously students’ education suffers, but so might their mental health and the economic impact on families. He thinks that the government needs to consider reopening schools at the earliest opportunity.
It has always been stated that school closures are an attempt to control the spread of the virus, rather than there being a significant danger to the students. It’s also important to consider the risk to teachers and other school staff who might be more vulnerable, and even of schools were to close, students and teachers would still have to follow social distancing guidelines, remaining 2m apart and breaks would likely be cancelled. The government has said it will review all coronavirus policies after Easter.