As schools prepare to welcome all pupils back from September, a leading scientist has said it is “extremely difficult” to find evidence of any teachers having contracted coronavirus from a pupil anywhere in the world.
Epidemiologist and SAGE member Mark Woolhouse told The Times: “One thing we have learnt is that children are certainly, in the five to 15 brackets from school to early years, minimally involved in the epidemiology of this virus. There is increasing evidence that they rarely transmit”.
The Department has already set out plans for schools to fully reopen in September. As Covid-19 infection rates continue to fall, current restrictions on group sizes will be lifted to allow schools and colleges to welcome back all children and young people.
In order to continue to minimise risk of transmission, schools must work through a system of controls and adopt preventative measures such as reducing mixing and enhanced cleaning. For more information about our system of controls, please see our guidance here.