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Independent SAGE https://www.pscp.tv/w/cgUp-jFNV0V3TGxMek53UWJ8MWdxeHZhWnlhandKQqLcU9GJUOVnuhwuP0HVgtPfaKwBb_zM_89VHBEPLDkm
Christina Pagel is presenting this week's numbers
New hospital admissions still at a low level
But reported cases are going up.
All the hotspots are cooler apart from the North West. Local restrictions are working and people have been outdoors a lot in the hot weather.
We'r not alone in seeing an increase in cases. Even Italy is seeing cases going up.
Tourism, opening bars and restaurants and relaxation of social distancing are contributing to this.
Complacency is the handmaiden of these new spikes.
Summary
What do we need to do to keep schools open?
The risk to children is very low but there are differences between primary and secondary school.
At a local level, reopening schools will reflect local transmission rates - if cases are high then schools opening will act as a super spreading event.
We need a robust and locally driven FTTI infrastructure.
We need DETAILED guidance from the government for schools. It is currently very vague.
The government needs to take into account the risks to BAME groups.
Lockdown has widened existing inequalities so we need support for schools in deprived areas.
It makes sense to ask students to wear masks.
The data isn't reaching the local level quickly enough but there has been a lot of improvement and I think the government have been listening to Independent Sage advice.
We need clearer guidance on what vulnerable means. GPs need to be at the centre of our response now that schools are reopening. They are trusted and they know their local communities. They can identify risks.
Should teachers wear masks? It really depends on the level of community transmission. It's also important to know how much physical distance there is and how good the ventilation is.
It's not always possible to open windows. Schools in particular need to look at ventilation.
What we open and in what order says something about what we value in society - whether it's for a child to get an education or the parent to get a drink.
There will be lots of coughs and colds. There needs to be a heightened level of awareness of the virus with a low threshold for undertaking testing of children and teachers.
We could include testing for other respiratory infections in the testing to enable us to distinguish.
Children with runny noses generally don't have Covid. We should be getting GPs to advise the schools.
We shouldn't wait until it's too late to help children who need to work from home. We need a free laptop and wifi for every child in the country.
The vast majority of schools are in a low risk scenario. In this situation the viral transmission is not there there to amplify. You can practically assess the risk to your children looking at the statistics.
The government brought doctors and nurses back out of retirement. There's no reason we can't do the same with school teachers.
The government has had six months to consider this contingency plan for schools so we can't let them off the hook.
It's a wrap! Thank you for joining and thank you @SamiraAhmedUK
