The mayor of London announced on Friday that the British government would close all primary schools across the capital over the next two weeks amid the rapid rise in new coronavirus infections.
The announcement comes after the UK Minister for Education, Gavin Williamson said Wednesday that the country would delay the reopening of high schools while moving forward with the reopening of most primary schools for children under 11 next week, according to Reuters.
The move provoked criticism from local leaders, as schools reopened several in areas around London where COVID-19 infection rates remain particularly high.
The Guardian reported that the district leaders of Haringey pledged to challenge the government to support schools that chose to remain closed in order to keep students and staff safe.
In a letter sent to Williamson this week, local leaders from nine London authorities called for all primary schools to remain closed to all students except those who are part of “vulnerable” groups or whose parents are essential workers.
In response, the UK government held an emergency meeting of the cabinet office on Friday, voting to include the remaining areas of the capital as part of the list of schools that would remain temporarily closed.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan announced the change on Twitter, writing, “The government has finally made sense and converted.”
“This is the right decision, and I want to thank Education Minister Nick Gibb for our constructive talks over the last two days,” Khan said, referring to the UK Minister for School Standards.
NEW: The Government has finally seen meaning and change of direction. All London primary schools will be treated equally.
This is the right decision, and I want to thank Education Minister Nick Gibb for our constructive conversations over the past two days. https://t.co/D3u2eTIioW
– Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) January 1, 2021
Mary Bousted, Joint Secretary General of the The National Education Union also supported Friday’s decision, adding that all primary schools across the country should close, in addition to the UK fighting a new, more transmissible strain of COVID-19.
“What’s right for London is right for the rest of the country,” he said, according to The Guardian. “It is time for the government to protect its citizens, and in particular their children, by closing all primary schools for two weeks so that the situation can be properly assessed, schools have been much safer and children and their children protected families “.
As of Friday, more than 2.5 million people in the UK have been infected with COVID-19, with more than 74,000 deaths from the virus, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
This happens when citizens across the country have already started receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine and on Wednesday the UK health authorities approved the vaccine candidate of Oxford University and AstraZeneca for emergency use.
A third vaccine, produced by drug maker Moderna, is approved for emergency distribution in the US, but has not yet been removed by British health authorities.