All lessons to move online from Monday in Lombardy
The original epicentre of the Italian coronavirus outbreak has announced the closure of all secondary schools in the region because of rising numbers of coronavirus infections.
Lombardy, which includes northern Italian city Milan, will move all lessons online from Monday.
In England schools are the clear driver of the rampant second wave of the pandemic, with the fastest-growing levels of infection and school-aged children already representing more than a third of all new infections despite only making up 20% of the population.
Yet, even though the UK’s other nations have announced lockdowns, the Tories continue to refuse to close schools, squandering an opportunity to make the half-term holidays part of a ‘circuit break’ lockdown while pursuing a policy of closing hospitality sector even though that sector represents the source of only 4% of new infections.
England’s decision not to lock down is expected to lead to at least 1,000 deaths a week until April, while a lockdown would reduce deaths to near zero within a month.
Boris Johnson’s delay in announcing the first nationwide lockdown caused tens of thousands of needless deaths – yet Johnson has repeatedly refused even to express regret.
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Closing pubs either completely or at 10pm helps ensure workers aren’t late for work.
Keeping schools open means more parents free of childcare so are available for work.
Regardless of how keeping open schools maintains a reservoir of children who can carry Covid19 home to older relatives, many of these children doing so asymptomatically.
The priority of this Govt is crystal clear:
Employers’ profits.
If a ‘Lockdown’ is not water tight it will not be effective. Islands such as New Zealand & Isle of Man can isolate, but not the British Isles as the economy must always keep working; transport systems kept running; educational establishments kept open; construction industry etc.
‘Dragging it out’ to ensure the continued ‘herd immunity’ spread.