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Scotland and Wales Ready School Closures in Bid to Supress Virus

Scotland and Wales Ready School Closures in Bid to Supress Virus

(Bloomberg) -- Scotland and Wales told schools to prepare to close from Friday as the U.K. moved to the next stage in attempts to control the spread of coronavirus.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the move had become inevitable and that she couldn’t promise that schools would reopen before the summer. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said an announcement for England is “imminent.”

Ministers had held off making the move because parents will need to arrange care for their children, increasing pressure on the state-run National Health Service, which has many staff with school-age children.

The move echoes action in continental Europe and the Republic of Ireland. Some privately run schools have already closed, as parents preemptively withdrew children and others self-isolated after showing symptoms.

The prime minister, who has been criticized for his response and mixed public messaging as the virus took hold in the U.K., has stepped up restrictions on the public this week, urging people to stay away from shops, restaurants and bars, and for whole households to self isolate for 14 days if any member shows symptoms.

On Tuesday the nation changed its travel advice, urging citizens not to go abroad anywhere for the next 30 days and Johnson announced 350 billion pounds ($415 billion) in economic support for businesses and workers affected by the crisis.

Members of Parliament have raised questions about how the nation’s poorest children, who are entitled to free school meals, will eat properly while schools are shut. In primary schools, 13.7% of pupils claim free school meals, while in secondary schools -- which start at age 11 -- it is 12.4%.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.