The British government has defended its recommendation that secondary school pupils should wear face coverings inside classrooms when they return to school next month, a move that has attracted criticism from parents and lawmakers.
“We are recommending that secondary school pupils wear face coverings in classrooms as a temporary measure until Easter to provide additional reassurance and protection against the transmission of coronavirus where social distancing measures are not possible,” a government spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on Thursday.
It also said the recommendation “will not apply in situations where a face covering would impact on the ability to take part in exercise or strenuous activity, for example PE lessons.”
This new recommendation represents a significant shift in the government’s stance on the wearing of face coverings in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Parent campaign group UsForThem posted Johnson’s past remarks on Twitter and asked “What has changed?”
“School closures have already led to 840 million missed school days. Current proposals severely impact upon children’s opportunities to catch up. This cannot happen,” the group said.
The government spokesperson responded to criticisms by saying, “Throughout this pandemic, we have based our guidance on the latest scientific and medical advice, and we will continue to keep our guidance under review and update it as required.”
“No pupil should be denied education on the grounds that they are not wearing a face covering,” it states.