Parents urged to do this when school starts in a bid to stop the coronavirus spread

Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to have children return to school.

At the beginning of June, the government hopes that pupils in reception, year one and year six will begin a phased return to education.

Kids and teenagers across the country have been spending the past two months at home, since schools closed their doors in light of the coronavirus pandemic back in March.

Now, as part of Boris’ plan to gradually lift the nation’s lockdown, some kids will go back to their classrooms.

Unsurprisingly, there has been concern surrounding the safety of the plan, with many parents worrying that sending little ones back could help the Covid-19 virus to spread.

TV health expert, Doctor Hilary Jones, has issued some advice for parents to follow strictly when schools go back.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he suggested that parents should stay away from school gates and other mums and dads at drop off and pick up times.

“We’re going to have to live with this virus. We can’t keep children at home forever, but at what point do we reintroduce them?

“It has to be based on testing, and tracing and isolation where you have got cases,” he said.

“Seeing what’s going on bit by bit, keeping parents away from school gates, and keeping parents socially distancing.

“Having groups come in at different times and little bubbles with one teacher looking after five or six children and having segregated meals.

“Let’s do that, let’s test and trace and do it bit by bit so we can manage it and control it so it’s not just chaos of everyone going back.”

Speaking on the risk of children super-spreading the potentially deadly illness, he added, “Australia says little evidence that children transmit virus, however, other reports say they have the same dose but are more resilient to the effects.

“So that begs the questions, are teachers more vulnerable? There’s the risk of the virus and then the risk of vulnerable children not getting the education they need.”