Caller's harrowing case for keeping schools closed nationwide

2 January 2021, 16:14

GP's powerful justification for closing schools

This GP made a harrowing case for shutting schools nationwide as Covid-19 cases spiral out of control.

Ken, a GP from Hackney was furious with the Government's handling of schools during the pandemic.

"It's really beggars belief at how they can turn a deaf ear to the numbers of people who kind of know about the situation," he told Rachel Johnson.

"What's it going to do to the mental health of children in a couple of months time when they realise the reason their parents got Covid and one of them died was because they were in school and brought it home?"

The caller said that the situation gets worse the longer the Government fail to act: "There are all kinds of ramifications of the messaging we're giving to children at the moment."

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Rachel pushed the caller for his medical expertise: "Assuming we had a two week total closure, do you think that would go some way towards getting the virus under control?"

Ken insisted that "a two week closure may allow the peak to plateau," but warned that two weeks will be nowhere near enough to reduce the numbers – it would have to be longer.

The caller said the Government had "gone their own way with many odd and peculiar private sector contracts which has left the country floundering."

"There are measures that could have been taken and had they been taken we wouldn't be in this position."

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