Hard choices for UK after virus spikes

Experts warn it may not be safe to open schools without closing pubs

The United Kingdom government, which abandoned plans on the weekend to further ease its national lockdown amid a troubling spike in novel coronavirus cases, may end up having to sacrifice pubs for schools, according to a top scientific adviser.

Graham Medley, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and chairman of a sub-group of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said on Radio 4's Today program it might not be possible to keep both pubs and schools open after the summer vacation.

"I think we're in a situation whereby most people think that opening schools is a priority for the health and wellbeing of children and that when we do that we are going to reconnect lots of households," he said. "And so actually, closing some of the other networks, some of the other activities may well be required to enable us to open schools."

He made the comments as a cluster of 13 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Aberdeen, centered on a local pub.

The Guardian newspaper noted that the stark choice between pubs and schools follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying on Friday that a second full national lockdown may be needed if infections increase too quickly. Johnson has also ordered localized lockdowns in Northwest England in a bid to snuff out spikes there.

The Office for National Statistics estimates there are currently around 4,200 new novel coronavirus cases a day in England, while the daily number of lab-confirmed UK cases saw an increase of 744 on Sunday.

The leader of a teachers' union in the UK has said he wants some clarity on what the government intends to do about schools.

Patrick Roach, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers, said educators need to know the options, especially in light of a comment from Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, that the nation has relaxed its lockdown as far as is currently safe.

"The warning from the chief medical officer that a fine balance has to be struck in ensuring public health at this stage of the pandemic, and that the country may have reached the limits to the easing of lockdown, will no doubt prompt questions for many parents as well as for those working in schools," Roach told the Observer newspaper.

But while teachers are understandably nervous about returning to the classroom, new data released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service shows there are plenty of people who would love to be in their position. UCAS said 21,000 graduates have applied for teacher-training programs since the start of the novel coronavirus lockdown, a rise of 65 percent on the usual level.

The organization said fears about rising unemployment likely prompted many of the applications.

Joshua Fullard, a senior researcher at the Education Policy Institute, said: "The pandemic has caused unparalleled disruption to every area of education. However, there appears to be a silver lining in the form of a big boost to the teaching profession in England."

Beyond the education sector, ministers are bracing for hundreds of thousands of job losses as the government's furlough program is wound down.

The program, which ensured 9 million people who could not work from home during the lockdown received government money, has been amended so that, from last Saturday, employers contribute to the cost.

The Financial Times newspaper said that, while employers' contributions will only amount to around 5 percent of the money they paid to workers before the pandemic, many companies have already started laying off workers, rather than paying up.

Aug 1 also saw around 2 million people in the UK cease to be officially categorized as "shielding". They received letters saying they can now rejoin the rest of society. While they are still vulnerable to becoming seriously ill if they catch the novel coronavirus, the government feels the risk of them contracting the disease is now greatly reduced.

Elsewhere in Europe, Spain has entered its worst recession for decades, with its economy shrinking by 18.5 percent during the April-to-June period after falling 5.2 percent during the January-to-March period.

Overall, the European Union's economy contracted by 11.9 percent during the first two quarters of 2020.

The economic cost of lockdowns coupled with complaints about limitations on rights and freedoms led to around 20,000 people demonstrating in the German capital on Saturday to urge the government to end novel coronavirus restrictions.