Coronavirus: Boris Johnson closes Britain’s schools indefinitely

While Scott Morrison keeps kids at school, Boris Johnson took the drastic step of closing all schools, although some kids are exempt.

Boris Johnson has closed schools across Britain. Picture: AP.

Britain is to close schools for an indefinite period to dampen the “faster than expected” trajectory of the coronavirus infections, after 2626 people were confirmed as having the disease, and deaths leapt above 100.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned he would also take “further and faster measures’’ in the coming days to help protect the National Health Service and its ability to cope with the seriously ill. He also made a pitch for retired health workers to return to work.

Mr Johnson had had held off following the lead of other European countries in shutting schools, because of the impact it would have on the workforce.

But as the outbreak spreads and the death toll reached 104, up from 71 in a day, he said schools would be closed indefinitely later this week.

“After schools shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed,” he told his daily news conference, without giving a date for their re-opening.

Schools in England will close on Friday, following closures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday, however some will remain open for children of NHS workers, emergency workers, delivery staff and children who are classified as “vulnerable’’.

Mr Johnson said exams in the coming months have been cancelled, but he promised pupils would not be disadvantaged in their university placements and ongoing education.

In Scotland, schools have been told that they may stay shut until the beginning of September, after the usual northern hemisphere summer break, but Mr Johnson said he was unable to say when the schools would reopen.

He said: “I am a believer in freedom, but be in no doubt, these are very very important choices you are making in your daily lives. The more ruthlessly we force upon ourselves and family the advice to avoid gatherings and stay at home when you get symptoms, the better to protect the NHS, the fewer deaths we have and less suffering in the UK population and the faster we will get through this and the better we can bounce back.

“This is strong strong advice, and I do not rule out taking further and faster measures.’’

He added that the scientific advice was that schools remained a safe setting, but the closures were to help us slow the spread of this virus during this challenging time.

It has been suggested that London – which has the highest number of infections and deaths – might be placed in lockdown by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, but Mr Johnson did not specify what options the government has up its sleeve.

The jump in cases has put pressure on the intensive care units of the NHS. As the UK is currently only testing those in hospitals, the true infection rate throughout the country of those recovering at home is believed to be much higher.

Mr Johnson revealed that an antibody test was in the pipeline, “but not there yet’’, which would be a gamechanger to understand the magnitude of the virus in the general population and also to test medical workers so they know if they have some immunity.

Tests to see if people have the coronavirus are also being ramped up to 25,000 a day, with those in hospital and frontline workers to be tested and a home testing kit being developed.