Schools in Milton Keynes will remain closed until March at the earliest

    Schools in Milton Keynes will remain closed until March at the earliest, the Prime Minister has announced.

    The prime minister has said he hopes it will be safe to reopen schools in England from 8 March, as he told MPs he intends to set out a plan for easing lockdown in the week beginning 22 February.

    Speaking in the Commons this afternoon (27/1), Boris Johnson confirmed that pupils would not be returning to school after the February half-term.

    He said: "I know how parents and teachers need as much certainty as possible, including two weeks' notice of the return of face-to-face teaching.

    "So I must inform the House that for the reasons I have outlined it will not be possible to reopen schools immediately after the February half-term."

    Currently, the country is in a "perilous situation" but the Prime Minister believes that things should be clearer by next month. 

    "By then we will know much more about the effect of vaccines in preventing hospitalisations and deaths," he explained.

    As a result, Mr Johnson told MPs that the government intends to publish its plan for easing lockdown, once it has reviewed the data, in the week beginning 22 February.

    The Leader of Milton Keynes Council, Cllr Pete Marland, believes that schools should remain closed until school staff have been given access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

    He said: "I don't think the council will be able to recommend to schools, because it's ultimately their decision, that they should reopen unless staff have access to a vaccine.

    "Just common sense would tell you it is not particularly fair to put people, who are working, into an environment where they may be at risk without full knowledge of what that risk is. Either the Government should make the vaccine available to teachers before schools reopen, or they have to show the evidence that schools are safe [and] to provide that reassurance to parents and staff."

    READ MORE: Schools in Milton Keynes should not reopen unless staff have access to covid vaccine, says council leader

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