Not safe to reopen all schools next week and government ignoring scientific advice, Independent Sage warns

It is not safe to start reopening all schools next week, a group of independent scientists has warned.

The committee accused the government of not listening to its own scientific advice as it pushes for certain classes to go back to school on 1 June.

In a new report, the Independent Sage group said the proposals risk “a new surge of cases of Covid-19 in some communities”.

The government’s scientific advisory committee, Sage, has modelled the impact of seven different ways schools could reopen, which all result in the ‘R’ rate – or the rate of transmission – increasing, the group said.

“The school reopening scenario chosen by the government is not one of those modelled by Sage making the potential impact of reopening even more uncertain,” the Independent Sage report said. “Robust testing systems are not in place everywhere.”

The committee of independent scientists added: “Additionally, public adherence to social distancing is influenced by trust in the government and its messaging. This trust is increasingly strained.

“We therefore believe that by going ahead with a general school reopening from 1 June, the government is not following the advice of its Sage group.”

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