³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

The UK's chief medical officers have issued a joint statement reassuring parents that it's safe for children to return to school next month.

They say that the risk of children catching coronavirus in school is smaller than the damage that will be done by missing lessons.

Millions of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to return to school within weeks.

The chief and deputy chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales said the risk of children catching coronavirus in school is "incredibly small" and although there are "no risk-free options", school attendance is very important.

"The chances of many children being damaged by not going to school are incredibly clear," said England's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty. He added that missing school could cause "mental and physical ill health in the long run".

"Therefore the balance of risk is very strongly in favour of children going to school because many more are likely to be harmed by not going than harmed by going, even during this pandemic," he said.

The government has said all pupils, in all year groups, in England will be expected to return to class full-time in September. Schools have already reopened in Scotland.

The statement from the medical chiefs said that while infection in schools can happen, it's not a "common route of transmission".

"This reinforces the need to maintain social distancing and good infection control inside and outside classroom settings, particularly between staff members and between older children and adults," they said.

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the teachers union NASUWT, said the medical officer's statement showed the "critical importance" of maintaining safety in schools including social distancing and hand-washing.

He added: "Today's statement adds weight to the prime minister's message that there is a moral duty to reopen schools and that schools must reopen safely."

However, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister's promise to get all children back to school had been put at "serious risk" by a "week of chaos" over exam results.

"I want to see children back at school next month, and I expect the Prime Minister to deliver on that commitment. However, the commitment is now at serious risk after a week of chaos, confusion and incompetence from the government."

The chief and deputy chief medical officers said that reopening schools would not necessarily mean an increase in people catching the disease, but if the reproduction rate - the R number - goes above one anywhere for any reason, then they might have to look at increasing lockdown rules in certain areas.

The R number is how many people on average each infected person, then transmits the virus on to.

Professor Whitty said schools reopening could "put pressure" on the R number and could lead to the closure of pubs and shops.

"By opening schools, which I think everybody agrees is absolutely essential for the education of children, we are going to bring households together who not otherwise be together.

"The result of that is that it will create some upward pressure on the R, it may increase it... if that happens we will have to respond."