BORIS Johnson has said it’s the “national priority” to get pupils back to school in September.
The Prime Minister is understood to have made clear schools should be the last sector to shut in any future local lockdowns.
A Downing Street source said Mr Johnson believes the harm being done to children’s education prospects and mental health by not being in the classroom is far more damaging than the risk posed to them by coronavirus.
Schools across the UK closed on March 20, except to children of key workers or vulnerable children.
On June 1, they began a limited reopening for Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
This comes after Preston was plunged into local lockdown, after the council asked residents to follow a number of extra restrictions in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
Authorities have urged people not to “kill granny” amid reports almost half of new cases in Preston were among those aged 30 and younger.
Meanwhile, the UK government have announced that the list of settings where face masks are compulsory has expanded to include hairdressers, cinemas, and more. Police can issue £100 fines for those caught breaking the rules.
This comes as deaths hit 46,566 after 55 deaths yesterday.
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