The government has been accused of giving “inconsistent” and conflicting advice as growing numbers of schools were forced to close over coronavirus fears, sending thousands of pupils home.
Individual headteachers have been left to decide whether to close their schools after some pupils and staff began to exhibit mild flu-like symptoms following their return from school trips to Italian Alpine ski resorts in the past week.
In what became an increasingly confusing situation, Public Health England (PHE) advised schools not to close and instead ask pupils and staff exhibiting symptoms to “self-isolate”. However, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, admitted closures were a possibility to contain the virus.
This led to some headteachers deciding to take evasive action and shut down their schools for the rest of the week, deep-cleaning buildings to minimise any risk, with others telling pupils they must come in unless they have clear symptoms of the virus.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
- Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
- Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
- Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
- Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
- Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
- Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided they are used correctly.
In the most recent tally, nine schools have closed across the country, from Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, to Old Windsor in Berkshire. Meanwhile, pupils and staff at more than 20 schools from Cornwall to Northern Ireland were sent home to quarantine themselves for a fortnight.
Headteachers told of late-night calls from NHS clinical services advising them to tell those who went on school trips to Italy to self-isolate, regardless of whether they were showing symptoms of being unwell.
Richard Pollock, the headteacher at Cransley school in Northwich, said 29 pupils and five members of staff went on a trip to Bormio in Lombardy over half-term, and a small number of pupils and staff began showing mild flu-like symptoms on Tuesday.
Pollock said that regardless of government advice stating the school should remain open to all other pupils, he decided, in discussion with senior managers and governors, to shut it down for the remainder of the week.
“I understand that there will be a variety of reactions to this decision amongst parents, and I hope that all families will understand the developing situation and the changing and inconsistent advice given to the school,” he said.
He added: “There are a number of pupils and staff who have vulnerable family members and it is the school’s duty of care to put in place the most secure of measures to minimise any possible infection, despite public policy.
“The staff, pupils and families of Cransley are our highest concern, and whilst we understand the impact this may have on the education of the pupils and disruption to working practice of parents, we believe this decision is justified.”
Some parents said they had been left in the dark and felt the government’s response had been “too complacent” in the face of a “global catastrophe”.
Kate’s two daughters were sent home from their school in Middlesbrough after two students returned from a school skiing trip in northern Italy – the European region worst affected so far by the outbreak – with symptoms of coronavirus.
As the school bus returned to the UK, parents were texted to say that Trinity Catholic College would be closing and undergoing a deep clean. It was set to reopen on Monday next week, but this has been pushed back to Tuesday.
“There’s a lack of information across the country as a whole. It’s made me paranoid. This feels like just a drop in the ocean of what we are going to see. How are the government planning to deal with it? They have been too complacent so far – this is a super-virus – how many more people have to die before they take it seriously? ” Kate said.
Another parent, Andy Byles, raised concerns about pupils being allowed back into school on Monday despite having visited an affected area in Italy.
Byles said: “Thirty or so kids went to school on Monday morning when they should not have done. They should not have been at school in my opinion. I don’t think teachers had the correct information at that time of what they should have done.”
Staff and pupils showing symptoms are being sent to specialist “pods” set up across the country before being sent home to self quarantine.
PHE maintained its advice that schools should not close unless students or staff have been to one of the specific towns identified by the Italian government.
PHE’s medical director, Paul Cosford, said: “Schools have to take difficult decisions given the complexity of issues that they are facing. What I would say is that our general advice is not to close schools.
“What we are clear about is if you have been in the area of northern Italy of concern and you have symptoms – it is a cough, shortness of breath or fever – then you do need to self-isolate, you need to phone NHS 111 and await advice for further assessment or testing.”
Separately, England’s chief medical officer, Prof Whitty, warned schools could be shut across the country and public transport reduced if coronavirus became a global pandemic.
“There’s no secret there’s a variety of things you need to look at; you look at things like school closures, you look at things like reducing transport,” he said.
The health secretary, Matt Hancock, said official advice has been changed to say people who have been to anywhere in Italy north of Pisa should self-isolate if they develop flu-like symptoms on their return to the UK.
Italy is struggling to contain the spread of coronavirus, with 11 people dead and 322 confirmed sick. Austria, Croatia and Switzerland have reported their first cases, while Spain and France recorded new cases, also involving people who had been to northern Italy.
