Schools are defying Boris Johnson's Covid relaxations

Hundreds of UK schools are set to defy Boris Johnson’s Covid relaxations following his announcement that masks will no longer be worn in classrooms.

Following the announcement of the relaxation on Plan B Covid measures, hundreds of schools are defying Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision of masks no longer needing to be worn in schools.
According to reports, over 100 headteachers have written to parents to inform them that their children will still have to wear facemasks in classrooms.
Many schools have said that the mask policy will be in place “until further notice” due to high levels of Covid as the virus still remains prominent in England’s northeast and northwest.
Several other schools have said wearing masks will lead to fewer teachers and students contracting the virus, preventing further hindrance in education.
Some schools have said that they will look at internal risk assessments before making a decision on scrapping the mandatory mask rule.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said yesterday, January 20, that “all schools” should ditch the mask to ensure that children “enjoy a normal experience” in the classroom.
He also said that the Department for Education (DfE) would be in contact with any headteachers who decide to defy the prime minister’s decision and explain why the use of masks must be scrapped.
“This applies to all schools – and if required local teams from DfE would work with individual schools to support them in implementing the guidance,” he stated.
Officials have already written to headteachers to explain that masks were only introduced as a “temporary measure” and that they are “no longer recommended in classrooms.”
Zahawi told MPs that he had stuck to his promise of not keeping the mask mandate in schools in place for “a day longer than necessary,” however, he did admit that they could be brought back in the event of an “extraordinary” Covid outbreak.
His comments come as the National Education Union warned against the decision, saying lifting the restrictions has come “too early.”
The union’s joint general secretary Dr Mary Bousted suggested that the easing of restrictions is merely aimed at saving the prime minister’s job and not “exercising a duty of care to the nation’s pupils and the staff who educate them.”

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