Schools to stay open until advised otherwise

But Exeter University suspends teaching

Dr Virginia Pearson, Director of Public Health, told the committee that the council had started regular planning meetings in January as to formulate their response and that they are keeping to the Public Health England guidance.

She said that the Government have chosen not to take the same action other countries to close down schools but that the coronavirus will have an unprecedented impact on our lives for some time.

The number of positive tests for coronavirus recorded in the UK has reached 1,543 – an increase of 171 in 24 hours.

So far, there have been 61 positive tests in the South West with 24 in Devon and five in Cornwall.

She added: “As soon as you start closing schools, there is an immediate impact on parents. This is going to be for the long-haul and the virus will spread and affect a wide range of people in the community, although mainly older and those with underlying health issues.

“Going back a month, I don’t think we were expecting the significant impact in terms of lives lost and on the economy. It is unprecedented the impact this will have on our lives for some time.

“The Government have not taken the same action to date as other countries to close schools with the intention to halt the spread. The view of the scientists here, is that it is already in the community so we need to manage the social and economic impacts rather than tackle it by shutting down England for two weeks.

“As the virus becomes widespread, we should not be surprised at different groupings it appears in, but for the majority of people, it will be a mild illness. There are at risk groups in the community and we are expecting more advice about how to protect them.”

Dr Pearson added that for parents and carers worried, the ‘Easter holidays cannot come too soon’, as lots of them will have already made provision for childcare. She added: “What happens after then, we don’t know. The Governments may change their mind about opening schools.”

Dawn Stabb,  Head of Education and Learning , added that there were daily briefings that were being provided to schools and that so far, there have only been two short closures in the county. Berry Pomeroy Primary School closed for one day while a school in North Devon closed for three days, both due to precautionary measures for which tests came back negative.

She added: “To date, they are the only two incidents we have seen across the county and are working with schools to ensure that they stay open. We are in a very positive position in terms of the ongoing education of children. Schools are open and operating as normal.”

Asked by Cllr Sue Aves what happens if a family decides to self-isolate, Mrs Stabb said that if they were self-isolating in line with PHE guidance, the absence will be authorised, but outside of that, it was likely to not be authorised unless they have an underlying health issue or an immediate family member does.

Jo Olsson, Chief Officer for Children’s Services, added: “The plan is for schools to remain open until further notice. We are not making any announcements about what happens after Easter holidays, and by then, we’ll know more about how the pandemic is unfolding. We have to keep the community reassured, children in school as long as we can, and the impact on children is at the forefront of thinking and how to keep the essential services going.”

She added that the council was working on contingency plans to keep as many essential services going as possible, that they may have to deploy the workforce differently, and that some things that they had planned to do may have to wait.

Cllr James McInnes, cabinet member for children’s services, said that there was a tremendous amount of work going on behind the scenes and that people should follow the national guidance of experts.

He added: “In the world of social media, almost everyone is ‘an expert’. But we need to follow the national guidance. Schools will remaining open until the national decision is that they should not do. Only by mobilising the whole community, we will get through this the best we can.”