Support is growing in Liverpool and around the country for a move by city Mayor Joe Anderson to potentially stop primary schools from reopening at the start of next month.
Yesterday the Mayor said he did not believe it was safe to start opening schools again from June 1 and said he would 'resist' the orders from government to start doing so.
Last night the city leader appeared on BBC Newsnight to elaborate on his fears.
He said: "We are concerned and we have a safeguarding responsibility for our children and for staff in our schools.
"We are concerned about letting children back into schools who could either get the virus or spread the virus.
"The safety of our children comes first, of our levels of infection are higher than anywhere else then I’m not about to take risks with children’s lives or with staff and teaching professionals lives.”
Mayor Anderson's stance seems to me gathering plenty of support from worried parents, teachers and union.
A joint education union statement has called on the government to 'step back' from a June 1 start date.
The statement, from nine unions including the National Education Union, said that that "classrooms of four and five-year olds could become sources of Covid-19 transmission and spread".
The North West regional secretary of the NEU also tweeted in support of the Mayor.
Parents on social media backed Mayor Anderson's move.
Claire Hulse said: "Well done Joe Anderson at least someone is speaking sense, what’s the rush all of a sudden for the sake of 4 weeks."
Norma Harper added: "Good on ya Joe, goverment haven't got a clue, my little one is definitely NOT going back till September and only if it's safe."
Lynn Bryan added: "Thank you for keeping our children safe."
Lisa Campbell said: "Good man, I'll tell you one thing, if the government think I'm putting my girls in school they will have another thing coming. Its total madness."
Even the government's own scientific adviser appeared to cast doubt on the decision yesterday.
Osama Rahman, appearing before the Science and Technology Committee, said decisions around opening schools, such as which year groups went back first, had not been taken by the department.
Asked whether he had assessed the safety guidance given to schools and how it might be implemented, the DFE's scientific adviser told MPs: "I haven't."
He was therefore unable to explain what evidence was behind the decision to reopen schools.
