“Schools must close last and open first if locked down occurs.”
SAGE’s Professor Russell Viner warns against prolonged school closings in order to protect the health and safety of children.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s former president believes that schools should be allowed to stay open in case of Covid cases.
Half of the schools in England have already turned to supply teachers to get the cover they need because of staff absences.
Prof Viner is a University College London expert in child and adolescents health. He claims that school closures lead to better health. “high risks”Children.
Writing for the British Medical Journal Prof Viner said: “There is now clear evidence that pandemic related school closures harm children.
“Prolonged school closures bring high risk of poor mental health, obesity, and child abuse, as well as loss of learning.
“The National Mental Health of Children and Young People study showed that likely mental health disorders in English children and young people increased from 1 in 9 to 1 in 6 during the pandemic.
“The National Child Measurement Programme found that childhood obesity in England increased by 4.5% from 2019 to 2020.
“School closures reduce the visibility of children at risk, with medical referrals for child protection falling 36%-39% during the pandemic.
“Due to sensitive periods of brain and cognitive development, this generation of children’s loss of learning during the pandemic cannot simply be compensated for by catch-up work at a later date and will contribute to poorer health and lower life expectancy in the long term.”