[ad_1]
Secondary school students in England are again being asked to wear masks in classrooms to help tackle the rise in Omicron coronavirus cases.
The recommendation comes as the government pledges to keep face-to-face education going despite surging COVID-19 infections in England, with a record 162,572 new cases reported on Saturday.
Masks will “maximise the number of children in school” for the “maximum amount of time”, said the government, stressing the “temporary” guidance for schools and colleges will be reviewed on 26 January when Plan B regulations are scheduled to expire.
However senior figures in the education sector are warning that classes and year groups may again have to learn from home due to issues with staffing levels caused by the pandemic.
What is Plan B?
The government has said an additional 7,000 air cleaning units are going to be provided to schools, colleges and early years settings ahead of young people returning from the Christmas holidays this coming week.
But the NEU teaching union has criticised the number of units as “completely inadequate”.
Paul Whiteman, the head of school leaders’ union NAHT, welcomed the moves over masks and air filtration systems, and said “the best place for children to learn is in school”.
“We need to do everything possible to ensure face-to-face teaching continues, despite increasing infection rates due to the new variant,” he said.
Face coverings are already encouraged for secondary school and older students in communal areas and corridors, but the existing guidance does not advise to wear them in classrooms.
Do face masks work? Here is what scientific studies say
Geoff Barton, the head of the Association of School and College Leaders, also supported the latest…
[ad_2]
Source : skynews
