LONDON (AP) – With daily coronavirus infections on the rise as a result of a new virus variant, the British government came under increasing pressure from teachers’ unions on Saturday to keep schools in England closed for at least another two weeks.
The government, which oversees schools in England, has already decided to keep all schools in London closed next week to try to stem new infections. Trade unions want the policy to be expanded across England and to express concern for the health of both teachers and children.
The UK set a daily record for new coronavirus infections on Saturday – 57,725 – and it looks like it will soon overtake Italy again to become the worst-hit country in Europe, with nearly 75,000 COVID-19 deaths. The fear is that the increase in infections will also increase the number of deaths in the coming weeks.
The United Kingdom has recorded its five highest daily new infection rates in the past five days – all more than 50,000 and being double from just a few weeks ago.
After an emergency meeting on Saturday, the National Education Union, which represents more than 450,000 education workers, called on the Conservative government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to do the learning online for at least two weeks. It also told members that they have a legal right not to have to work in an “unsafe environment” of accelerated coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
“We are doing our job as a union by informing our members that they have the legal right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions that are a danger to their health and the health of their school communities,” said Kevin Courtney, the union’s joint authority, said. general secretary.
Another union representing teachers, the NASUWT, has also called for an immediate nationwide switch to remote education due to virus safety issues. General Secretary Patrick Roach said there was a ‘serious concern’ that schools and colleges could not reopen safely at the moment.
“The NASUWT will not hesitate to take appropriate steps to protect members whose safety is compromised as a result of the failure of employers or the government to ensure safe working conditions in schools and colleges,” he said.
The government’s own emergency scientific advisory group warned at a December 22 meeting that schools should remain closed to reduce virus transmission rates.
The UK is struggling with a sharp increase in new cases due to a new virus variant which, according to officials, can be up to 70% more contagious.
The variant is particularly prevalent in London and surrounding areas, which has asked Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to reconsider plans to reopen primary schools for children aged 11 and under in the capital, as scheduled on January 4th.
Most other primary schools in England will still open on Monday. The reopening of the high school has already been delayed for millions of students, and exam pupils are back on January 11 and a week later.
With many UK hospitals having almost or almost capacity, there is growing concern about how the already protracted National Health Service will handle an expected increase in people seeking treatment after being infected during the holidays. Field hospitals are again being equipped to take in patients.
As for the vaccination, Britain began vaccinating people over the age of 80 and health workers with the Pfizer BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on December 8. Last week, the government approved another vaccine made by the University of Oxford and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca that is cheaper and easier to use.
The UK plans to abolish vaccinations on Monday with 530,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and has set the goal of vaccinating 2 million people a week as soon as possible.
Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath in the south of England was one of the first to receive the newly approved vaccine on Saturday.
Dr. George Findlay, the trust’s chief medical officer, said the newly approved vaccine was “much easier” to administer than the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which should be stored at temperatures around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 Fahrenheit). .
More than a million people in the UK have already received their first pfizer vaccine.
In a shift of practices in the US, Britain plans to give people the second doses of both vaccines within twelve weeks of their first shot rather than within 21 days, in order to accelerate vaccinations in as many people as possible.
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