NICOLA Sturgeon has rejected opposition suggestions that the Scottish Government was pushed into a U-turn on post-lockdown schools reopenings.
Since John Swinney announced that pupils should prepare for full-time schooling from August with no social distancing – provided Covid-19 cases remain at a very low level – Tory and Labour figures have suggested they were responsible for the move.
Speaking in the Chamber, the Education Secretary explained that Scotland has made significant progress on fighting Covid-19 and added that has now been a sustained downward trend in deaths from the virus.
READ MORE: Covid-19: How schools in Scotland could open 'nearer normality'
Due to the continued low level of new cases, Swinney said the Scottish Government is “now able to update our planning assumptions” – and shift the focus to getting pupils back in classroom full-time in just two months’ time.
Previously, local authority plans for pupils returning to school for the new term indicated some children might only receive one or two days of in-person learning each week.
1/ When it looked like the virus would make it impossible for kids to return to school full time in August, we developed a contingency. The contingency is still there should we need it. But our success in suppressing virus makes it possible now to plan for full time return. https://t.co/qJsuTUW3wv
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 23, 2020
Adding to Swinney’s points on Twitter, the SNP leader said: “When it looked like the virus would make it impossible for kids to return to school full time in August, we developed a contingency. The contingency is still there should we need it. But our success in suppressing virus makes it possible now to plan for full time return.
“Achieving that aim depends on getting and keeping virus at very low levels - and that depends on all of us abiding by public health rules and taking a careful path out of lockdown. And it means following relevant advice on mitigation, surveillance and testing.”
The First Minister last week said she was more optimistic than she had been for a long time when it came to fighting Covid-19 – but added the virus has not gone away yet.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel