The infection rate in the UK is creeping back up and is close to the point where the coronavirus could again start spreading rapidly.

The coronavirus “R-number” is now between 0.7 and 1.0, we have been told repeatedly over the last few weeks that it needs to be kept below one in order to stay in control of the virus and protect people’s lives and the NHS.

We still don’t know the effect of the changes to lockdown recently announced by the government.

The government hasn’t revealed it’s models on how many black and Asian staff are likely to die as a result of the lifting of the Covid-19 lockdown.

With all these unknowns the government is insisting that schools re-open for certain cohorts in just over two weeks time.

During their discussions with the government the unions working in education have put forward proposals that will reopen schools is a way that is safe for children, staff, their families and the wider community. The unions have backed up these discussions by issuing a joint statement on the safe reopening of schools.

Bristol Trades Union Council expresses its full support for this statement and expresses it’s solidarity with the nine unions involved.

The BMA has also thrown it’s weight behind the unions when it said that “the number of coronavirus infections remained too high to allow them [schools] to run safely”.

Bristol Trades Union Council says schools should open but only when it is safe to do so. No worker should have to work in unsafe conditions. We urge all workers to join a union to protect their health, safety and conditions.

The statement released by the unions can be found here Education unions’ statement on the safe reopening of schools