UK Schools Are Safe-Places to Avoid Coronavirus Outbreaks

'Children are more likely to be harmed by not returning to school next month than if they catch coronavirus,' the UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty said to the BBC on August 23, 2020. "The chances of children dying from COVID-19 are incredibly small... but missing lessons damage children in the long run."

Of the more than 1 million children who attended pre-school and primary schools in England during June 2020, only 70 children and 128 staff were infected in outbreaks of the coronavirus, according to a new Public Health England study. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 infections and outbreaks were uncommon across all educational settings. And staff members had an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to students in any educational setting.

Millions of pupils in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are scheduled to return to UK schools in September, while Scotland schools have already opened.