For those politicians, journalists and public figures who don’t yet understand, I’ll try to explain this simply;

FACT 1 - Children are human

FACT 2 - Children can and do get covid (no need to discuss how symptoms differ/hospitalisations are fewer, etc)

FACT 3 - Humans who are infected with covid can transmit the virus to other humans

FACT 4 - Some humans who have been infected don’t always return swiftly to pre-infection health. ( #longcovid)

FACT 5 - @uksciencechief said (21/09/20) limit household contacts, avoid indoor, crowded spaces with poor ventilation

FACT 6 - #COVIDisAirborne

FACT 7 - all indoor spaces where households mix are required to
1) limit number of people on site at any one time to facilitate distancing
2) ensure all on site wear face coverings
3) ensure good ventilation
4) promote good hand and surface hygiene

FACT 8 - Schools are an indoor setting where households mix

FACT 9 - @NickGibbUK said recently in the HoC that the system of controls in U.K. schools is robust

FACT 10 - this is the system of controls

FACT 11 - from September to December 2020 the system of controls allowed;

Bubbles of 300
Interchanging classes of 30
No masks in classrooms
No SD
No formal ventilation monitoring
Full bubbles eating together facing each other (no SD) across bench seating

FACT 12 - @educationgovuk are KNOWINGLY AND UNNECESSARILY allowing children, school staff and their families to be exposed to increased risk of infection to an as yet not fully understood virus.

FACT 13 - Children in other countries wear masks in classrooms.

FACT 14 - U.K. children don’t have a different biological makeup to overseas children

FACT 15 - @educationgovuk guidance says this about masks

FACT 16 - @educationgovuk haven’t produced the evidence they refer to in fact 15

FACT 17 - an average 8mx8m classroom shared with 30 members of different households is an indoor, crowded space

FACT 18 - aerosols don’t only travel forwards in an indoor space

FACT 19 - between September and December @educationgovuk told schools to notify ‘close contacts’ of a confirmed positive case to isolate.

FACT 20 - a close contact was determined to be a pupil sat in class either directly in front of or either side of the confirmed case.

FACT 21 - concerned parents, pupils and school staff have questioned why schools are exempted from mitigating risk of exposure to infection of an airborne virus to the lowest practicable level as required by H&S legislation.

FACT 22 - CONCERNED parents, pupils and school staff are told “schools are safe” and then explained further as it’s the mixing of households within schools that makes them vectors of transmission

FACT 23 - it isn’t morally or legally acceptable to unnecessarily expose ANYONE irrespective of age or occupation to increased risk of infection in order to facilitate smooth running of an organisation, institution or industry.

FACT 24 - @educationgovuk has had SINCE MARCH 2020 to plan, fund and implement a long-term, science based strategy for education provision throughout a global pandemic that is safe, sustainable and fair to all.

@warwickmansell @branwenjeffreys @JohnGRoberts @lewis_goodall @NickTriggle @JanetEastham @LongCovidKids @Parentkind @AlisonGeorge10 @dgurdasani1 @SusanMichie @karamballes @adamhamdy @Peston @piersmorgan @MichaelRosenYes

@NickGibbUK @sunilbhop @apsmunro @AllysonPollock3 @GeorgeMonbiot @adamhamdy @GawainLittle @Robin_Neu2 @neupresident @cyclingkev @mdbuckley @kaitborsay @ShelaghFogarty @CatMcKinnell @zarahsultana @RichardBurgon @YvetteCooperMP @wesstreeting @KateGreenSU