LONDON – Secondary school students in England are once again being asked to wear masks in classrooms as Omicron continues to spread in Britain ahead of children’s return to school next week.
The recommendation came as the government pledges to keep face-to-face education going despite surging COVID-19 infections in England.
Masks will “maximize the number of children in school” for the “maximum amount of time,” the British government said, stressing the “temporary” guidance for schools and colleges will be reviewed on Jan. 26 when Plan B regulations, which involve guidance to work from home and mandatory face masks in most public indoor venues among others, are scheduled to expire.
Britain has reported another 137,583 coronavirus cases in the latest 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 13,235,401, according to official figures released Sunday (Jan. 2).
Britain also reported a further 73 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 148,851, with 11,918 COVID-19 patients still in the hospital.
Cases and deaths data on Sunday only included England and Wales. Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland will be updated after the holidays.
More than 90% of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 82% have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 59% have received booster jabs or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia, and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. (Xinhua) – bny
