UK GOVERNMENT REVERSES DECISION ON FACE MASKS FOR STUDENTS
The UK Government has reversed its decision for students not to wear face masks in schools in the country.
Government officials had insisted that the use of face masks were not necessary when children go back to school from next week after almost six months out of the classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But in a new protocol released late on Tuesday, August 25th, 2020, the British Government said secondary school students and staff should wear face masks in corridors and communal areas.
Teaching unions in the UK have been calling for English schools to follow protocols in Scotland, which has a separate educational system that requires pupils to cover their nose and mouth between lessons.
But while welcoming the change, critics including the main opposition Labour party said ministers had avoided their responsibility by leaving enforcement to individual schools.
Labour’s education spokeswoman Kate Green, slammed a reversal saying the Government should have given clear guidance and a plan to deliver it.
Under-fire Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, had insisted masks were not required in schools with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office saying there was no plan to review the policy.
But Williamson, on Wednesday said the government would now follow World Health Organization advice for children aged 12 and over to wear masks.
It is pertinent to note that about 41,500 people have died in the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, the worst death toll in Europe, and the Government’s response to the pandemic has been criticised.
Ministers were accused of not reacting quickly enough, failing to ensure enough protective equipment for frontline health and social care workers, and over the testing regime.
Older students in Northern Ireland will be asked to wear face coverings outside classrooms from next week. The Welsh Assembly in Cardiff is due to make its decision on Wednesday.
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