New Zealand says fall in cases shows lockdown is working
Authorities in New Zealand say a drop in new COVID cases shows a nationwide lockdown is working.
A total of 49 new cases were reported in the outbreak epicentre of Auckland today, compared to 75 on Wednesday.
Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said: “The latest lower number is encouraging and does show that our alert level four lockdown is working, even against Delta.”
Around two million people in Auckland and the neighbouring Northland region remain in a strict level four lockdown, although curbs have been eased elsewhere.
Last month, the whole country was put into a strict lockdown after the country recorded its first coronavirus case in six months.
Education bosses call for extra £5.8bn to help pupils
School leaders are calling for an additional £5.8bn to help pupils in England whose learning has been affected by the pandemic.
They have written to Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, setting out recovery funding proposals and catch-up plans for the next three years.
Although they welcome the government’s pledge to provide £3bn to help pupils make up for lost learning, they claimed it was not enough.
Geoff Barton of the Association Of School & College Leaders, David Hughes of the Association of Colleges, Leora Cruddas of the Confederation of School Trusts, and Lucy Heller of Ark Schools are among those who signed the letter.
The letter said: “Two lengthy periods of closure have left many students behind where they should be.
“We know that public finances are squeezed but choosing not to invest in the future of young people, at this crucial moment, will only lead to greater costs down the line.”
The proposals also include “significant investment” in mental health support teams and additional support around extracurricular activities.
Schools likely to be ‘greater part of the problem’ of COVID spreading, expert warns
More from government adviser Calum Semple now, who is warning schools are likely to be a “greater part of the problem” when it comes to the spread of COVID-19 than they were before.
But schools should stay open “nearly at all costs” because the damage caused by “lack of social interaction and education is lifelong”, he added.
Professor Semple told BBC Breakfast: “I think schools will become a greater part of the problem than they were before.
“Because if you want to have schools operating as near-normal as possible with full classes, and you can’t do social distancing as effectively compared to workplaces where the adults are working from home, and are vaccinated, schools become a greater part of the problem than they were before.”
He said better buildings with better ventilation are needed, adding: “It’s tricky. Many schools are built to be heat-efficient rather than well-ventilated now and that’s a problem.
“So I think a lot of emphasis has to go on to improving the quality of building stock.”
Young people have taken the ‘biggest hit’ during pandemic, Ofsted chief inspector says
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman says youngsters have “sacrificed so much” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She told Sky News there is “no question” they have taken “much the biggest hit” over the last year-and-a-half.
“It’s really important we give children as normal an experience as possible this year,” she said.
“We really do owe it to them to give them back the life they’ve lost.
“I’ve got great confidence we will see very fast progress for a very large proportion of children.”
