Decision to keep primary schools open was “complex and fast paced” says Sheffield health chief
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The council urged primary schools to open as planned on Monday but teaching unions said they should remain closed under health and safety laws because of the rise in coronavirus.
Several schools emailed parents on Sunday evening to say they would be closed – but the national lockdown on Monday then overtook events.
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Hide AdDirector of Public Health Greg Fell said there was a fine balance between stopping the spread of Covid-19 and continuing children’s education.
He told a full council meeting: “Any environment that brings individuals together will carry the risk of transmission of the virus. No environment can be 100 per cent safe and the notion that Covid-secure equals absolute safety is not true.
“Schools have done, and continue to do, an amazing job to reduce the risk of transmission. It was factually untrue that the rate is highest in school age, the converse is actually true, it is lowest in school age.
“The byproduct of children being in school is they get an education so that’s the other side of the equation that we mustn’t forget. The downside of schools being closed are missed education and loss of life chances and life opportunities.”
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Hide AdMr Fell said he could not have predicted the third lockdown but he stood by the advice he gave.
“The decision on schools was never our call, it is the Department of Education.
“On Sunday, I advised Cabinet members that we should support schools to be open and I hadn’t anticipated there would be a change in government policy on Monday when the Prime Minister put the country into lockdown.
“Children have lost their education for quite a long period now and that will have lifelong consequences so it was very difficult, very complex and very fast moving.”