Schools could reopen after half-term in Wales as lockdown is extended for three weeks
PRIMARY schools in Wales will reopen after half-term if coronavirus rates continue to fall.
First Minister Mark Drakeford will today extend the country's lockdown for three weeks to "allow the NHS to recover".
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But his announcement could bring a boost for parents as primary schools could reopen after the February half-term.
This would be two weeks before the earliest date children in England could see a return to school after Boris Johnson said kids won't be back in class until at least March 8.
When asked why this was earlier than in England and Northern Ireland, Mr Drakeford told BBC Breakfast: "Because the context is different.
"Today we have 175 people in Wales for every 100,000 contracting coronavirus.
BACK TO SCHOOL
"In England a couple of days ago the average was 350, and our 170 figure is falling every day, so you can see the context is very different.
"We want to take advantage of that. Our children and young people have had a torrid time over the last 12 months, they are missing out on education every week."
Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government was working with local education authorities, teaching unions and the Children's Commissioner to return young people to face-to-face learning "as soon as it is safe to do so".
"Provided the next three weeks see further falls, we think we can do that straight after half-term. That's what we'll be working on together," Mr Drakeford said.
Mr Drakeford added that a "combination of factors" would be considered before children could begin returning to schools.
Our children and young people have had a torrid time over the last 12 months, they are missing out on education every week."
Mark Drakeford
He told BBC Breakfast: "We will also be looking carefully at the number of people in our hospitals and in critical care.
"We'll then take a judgment in the round. The key thing is the trend - those numbers need to continue to fall.
"They've been falling now in Wales for six weeks, we need another three weeks, we need to see the momentum in that direction.
"Then we'll take a judgment based not just on a single figure but on a basket of indicators across the system.
"If it's safe to do so, we all want our children, more of them, back in the classroom.
If it's safe to do so, we all want our children, more of them, back in the classroom."
Mr Drakeford
"That's what they need, that's what they deserve, and our Cabinet is determined that that will be the top priority for us here in Wales."
Campaigners and MPs hit out at Mr Johnson’s decision to delay reopening schools - warning of a disaster for kids’ education.
Children in England have already missed more than 112 school days out of a possible 191 since last March’s first Covid lockdown.
But the Prime Minister scrapped plans to get them back to class after the February half-term, with March 8 now the earliest return date instead.
He added that the country “would want them open in a cautious and sensible way”.
LOCKDOWN EXTENDED
Explaining the need for an extended lockdown, the Welsh Government said the Covid-19 situation is “improving” but another three weeks of Level 4 restrictions are needed to “allow the NHS to recover”.
The Welsh Government said there could be a “phased and flexible return to school after February 22 if the public health situation continues to improve”.
A statement said: “Rates of coronavirus across Wales have fallen below 200 cases per 100,000 people for the first time since early November.
“And every day, thousands more people receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine – the latest figures show almost 11% of the population have been vaccinated.”
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Authorities review the situation every 21 days, and on Wednesday chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said a Wales-wide easing of lockdown restrictions is unlikely until the end of February at the earliest.
The reproduction R value for the virus on Wednesday was said to be between 0.7 and 0.9, while figures from Public Health Wales showed that the country’s seven-day case rate stood at 204 cases per 100,000 people, down from 270 cases per 100,000 on Friday.
