Boris Johnson has praised parents and teachers as he welcomed the return of millions of children to the classroom in England under the first easing of coronavirus restrictions.
The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference that the return to schools marked a “big day and an emotional day” for millions of families across England.
He said: “We all know that the education of our children is so important that the greater risk now is keeping them out of school for a day longer.
“I want to thank all the teachers who have got their schools ready and who have been teaching throughout the period – whether that is remotely or in person. Your work has been astonishing.”
Mr Johnson also thanked parents who have been teaching their children at home and said: “We all know that the burden has disproportionately fallen on women – often holding down jobs and providing childcare at the same time.”
He said the Government’s job was to ensure pupils not only catch up on lost learning but “take the biggest possible step forwards with a concerted national programme for educational recovery”.
The Government later said a further 65 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 124,566.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 145,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.
