UK school closures – all schools to close due to coronavirus from Friday but kids of NHS workers will still get taught

SCHOOLS across the WHOLE of the UK will be closed after Friday as Britain desperately tries to contain the coronavirus outbreak at the "right time".

Boris Johnson said this evening that schools will be open on Friday as usual but then will shut "until further notice" for all children – except to those of key workers and vulnerable kids.

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The move comes two weeks before kids are meant to break up for the Easter break.

And they may not reopen before the six-week summer holiday either.

Announcing that schools would shut down early for the first time in modern history, the PM said this evening: "After schools shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed to most people, until further notice."

And he stressed they would be forced to do so, adding: "We have the power to do so."

Nurseries, private schools and further education colleges will follow suit, he said.

Despite insisting that school closures would not be necessary now for weeks, Boris said: "we will continue as we have from the beginning to do the right thing at the right time and to follow the best scientific advice."

And he explained that "key workers" will be able to still send their kids to school so they can carry on performing essential roles – and through the Easter holidays too.

A full list of them are expected to be released soon, but will include:

• NHS staff
• Police
• Delivery drivers
• Vulnerable children are also expected to carry on attending schools – those with a social worker and those with special educational needs and health and care plans

A Level and GCSE exams will be cancelled too, and any school inspections or league table results, the PM said.

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson promised that free school meals will continue for everyone who needs it – likely in the form of supermarket vouchers.

Boris told the nation this evening that the spread was "slowing" as a result of the draconian measures he put in place this week.

The PM explained: "We believe the steps we have already taken, together with those I am announcing today, are already slowing the spread of the disease.

"But we will not hesitate to go further, and faster, in the days and weeks ahead."

He said a lot of people were making a "real heroic effort to comply with the measures we have taken" but urged everyone to take all rules incredibly seriously.

But the PM refused to rule out locking down the whole of London – or even restricting people's movement.

"We've always said that we are going to do the right measures at the right time," he said, when asked when the capital will be shut down.

He told the country this evening: "We will not hesitate in bringing forward further and faster measures where we think that is necessary…

"We rule nothing out."

The Government's top scientific adviser Patrick Vallance warned the nation that anyone not following advice was "putting lots of people at risk".

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The Education Secretary said: "After schools close their gates on Friday afternoon they will remain closed until further notice.

"The scientific evidence shows these settings are safe for this small number of children to continue attending.

"But asking others to stay away will go towards helping us slow the spread of this virus."

He said "the spike of the virus is increasing at a faster pace than anticipated" which is why the PM had to rapidly change course.

Mr Williamson said he recognised it was a "testing time for the whole nation" but stressed that "we will be directly saving people's lives".

As recently as this week the PM had insisted that the time was not right to shut schools.

Experts were previously sceptical that shutting schools would help dampen the peak of the deadly coronavirus bug.
They suspected it would mean that grandparents would be forced to take care of children instead – and could speed up the spread.
But the Government has come under huge pressure as schools around Europe announced shut downs in the last week.

One MP said that heads up and down the country were demanding schools shut down because they had run out of soap and sanitiser.

And another headteacher said they were unable to provide kids with the proper levels of education they usually could.

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