Covid cases rise in Leeds children - as Boris Johnson declares schools safe

Some Leeds primary schools have said they will not open from today (Monday) after the National Education Union advised schools should stay closed for two weeks to “break the chain” of transmission and prevent the NHS becoming “overwhelmed”.

Despite a surge in Covid cases across the country, including in Leeds, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he has “no doubt” that classrooms are safe and parents should send children back to schools in England which remain open.

Here's a comparison of the Covid infection rates across Leeds in children in teenagers in tests carried out on December 29 and December 18 (the last day of term for a lot of schools):

Numbers are listed in the format: December 29 / December 18

0-4 year olds: 10 cases / 8 cases

5-9 year olds: 8 cases / 9 cases

10-14 year olds: 16 cases / 9 cases

15-19 year olds: 37 cases / 2 cases

All 0-19 year olds: 71 cases / 28 cases

Cases in all age groups: 458 cases / 162 cases

Positive cases in 0-19 year olds as a percentage of all positive cases on each day: 15.5 per cent / 17.3 per cent.

The actual number of positive cases in children and teenagers aged 0-19 has increased by 182.7 per cent across the period of under two weeks.

On December 29, more than one in seven of all coronavirus cases from tests carried out on this date were among children and teenagers.

The percentage of children and teenagers making up all positive cases across Leeds between the two dates decreased from 17.3 per cent of cases to 15.5 per cent of cases.

The schools remaining closed in Leeds (apart from the children of key workers/ vulnerable children) are:

- Gildersome Primary School- Manor Wood Primary School- Hugh Gaitskell Primary School- Colton Primary School

- Temple Newsam Halton Primary School

- Temple Moor High School

All of London’s primary schools and those in some surrounding areas will not reopen until January 18 due to the fast-spreading variant of Covid-19, with students elsewhere expected to have returned to classrooms on Monday.

Speaking on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One, the Prime Minister said: "Schools are safe. It is very, very important to stress that.

"The risk to kids, to young people is really very, very small indeed.

"The risk to staff is very small.

"I would advise all parents thinking about want to do, look at where your area is, overwhelmingly you'll be in a part of the country where primary schools tomorrow will be open."

He added: "I understand people's frustrations, I understand people's anxieties but there is no doubt in my mind that schools are safe and that education is a priority."

On Saturday evening, the Department for Education said remote learning was "a last resort" and classrooms should reopen "wherever possible" with appropriate safety measures to help mitigate the risk of transmission.

"As we've said, we will move to remote education as a last resort, with involvement of public health officials, in areas where infection and pressures on the NHS are highest," the spokesperson said.