School reopening after Christmas holiday ‘must be postponed’

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The teachers’ union said the reopening of schools after the Christmas holidays should be delayed in Scotland due to an increase in the number of Omicron cases.

The new variant has bypassed Delta to become the dominant strain of the virus in the country and the prime minister said a “tsunami of cases” was emerging.

Scotland recorded nearly 6,000 new Covid cases on Saturday with numbers expected to increase rapidly over the next few weeks.

Seamus Cerson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), said the country was not in an “appropriate situation” to reopen schools as normal in January.

The head of the teaching union, EIS, said the Scottish government should be ready to return schools to distance learning.

However, the Scottish government said it was not considering closing national schools.

Speaking to The Scotland Post on Sunday, Mr Cerson said: “If the numbers continue to rise, and it looks like this will be the case for some time to come, we will not be in a good position to reopen schools as normal in January.

“We’ve already heard of schools not operating at full capacity and parents banning their children from leaving the house to make sure they don’t get COVID in the lead-up to Christmas.

“The idea that we need to keep schools open at all costs adds nothing.

“Delaying the start of the new semester would give teachers more time to prepare for mitigation measures.”

Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said more measures are needed to curb the coronavirus when schools return.

Mr Flanagan said: “There is a clear need for extreme mitigation once schools reopen after the break, with improved cleaning systems, improvements in ventilation, and the continuation of other measures such as the use of face coverings and appropriate physical distancing measures.

“Scottish government must be led by science and act in the best interests of protecting public health.

“If it entails schools moving to distance learning for a while, this is a step the government should not be afraid to take.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “The Scottish government is not considering closing schools.

As the Prime Minister has made clear, protecting the education of children and young people remains a top priority.

Closing national schools would only be an absolute last resort.

“Covid-19 protections will be reviewed on a daily basis due to the rapid increase in cases of the Omicron variant.”

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