New variant posed ‘significant’ challenges for face-to-face learning, Johnson sayspublished at 11:54 BST
11:54 BST
Image source, Getty Images
Returning now to Boris Johnson’s testimony, where counsel Claire Dobbin is grilling the former PM about the time period between December 2020 and January 2021 – when cases were again surging.
It’s important, she says, to hear Johnson’s perspective about this period, and presents him with a document – the Chair’s Brief from the Covid Operations Cabinet Committee on 16 December, 2020.
In it, it’s stated that Johnson gave a “strong steer” that he would like the return of face-to-face attendance at schools “to be staggered” and for testing to be used as fully as possible to support this. Dobbin adds that the document states this “is a major delivery challenge”.
The document also notes that the education secretary had spoken to Johnson on the day and agreed which pupils would return to school in January, while acknowledging “significant delivery challenges” including workforce testing.
Johnson says he remembers there were difficulties in “standing up the testing operation”. He recalls conversations about whether the army would be used or not, but it was concluded schools would do it.
Image caption,
The number of patients in hospital with coronavirus peaked in the week to 20 January 2021, at more than 38,000 people
Counsel Dobbin moves now to a 28 December email from No 10. She says at this stage it’s “very clear” the new variant was driving transmission. Johnson agrees.
The email states that the education secretary had set out the social costs of reopening schools and outlined plans to return primary schools on 4 January, with secondary schools delayed to 18 January.
Johnson says that during that period, there were “tensions” over opening up and how fast, and the spread of the new variant.
Also in the email, the chief scientific adviser noted that it was known children do transmit and would spread the virus at home. He also noted that transmission went down during half term, suggesting school closures did have an effect.