NICOLA Sturgeon has warned that she may have to keep kids out of the classroom for longer than planned because of the impact of the new mutant coronavirus variant.
The First Minister told MSPs yesterday that her intention was to have pupils back in their primary and secondary schools by January 18.
But she warned this would need to be kept under review.
The new strain is thought to spread 70% faster than other forms of the virus, and there are fears may spread more easily in children.
On Saturday, the First Minister placed Scotland into an effective lockdown on Sunday, with the mainland being placed under level 4 restrictions, while the islands move up to level 3.
The return to school after the Christmas holidays has been delayed by a week.
Children of key workers will be allowed to return to school from January 5, but all other pupils will receive “blended learning” from home, starting a week later on January 11.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon appears to tell Ruth Davidson to 'keep it down' during Covid debate
Schools are then possibly going to fully reopen the next week.
Sturgeon said this “precautionary approach” was necessary to give ministers time to assess the impact the new strain could have on schools and education. The First Minister said: “Our intention is that schools will get back to normal from January 18 – but we will require to keep this under review.”
She added: “I know many people may question whether these measures are strictly necessary, especially given Scotland’s relatively low level of prevalence, compared to other parts of the UK. My firm judgment is that they are necessary.
“They are not simply as a response to our current situation, but necessary precautionary measures to avoid a significant deterioration in our situation, caused by this new strain, over the next few weeks.”
Ruth Davidson asked whether parents should start “preparing now for a long haul of blended learning at home”.
Sturgeon said schools would return on January 18 “if it is at all possible”.
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said: “If the arrangements for the new term do go ahead in their current form, we will expect local authorities to use all available flexibilities offered to them by the Government in order to minimise the number of school staff and pupils on site during the planned phased return and to fulfil their duty of care to protect medically vulnerable and high-risk groups of staff.”
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