Government criticised for quarantine ‘failures’ and treatment of children as coronavirus cases rise

The government has been criticised for treating children “as an afterthought” during the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis and not acting quickly enough to close the UK border in the early days of the pandemic.

A failure to quarantine travellers arriving in the UK in the early days of the pandemic “accelerated” the spread of Covid-19, a new report by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee suggests.

Meanwhile, children’s commissioner Anne Longfield said the re-opening of schools “should be prioritised” as lockdown measures are eased, saying schools must be the first to reopen and the last to close during any local lockdowns ahead of pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops.

Dr Mike Ryan from the World Health Organisation, meanwhile, emphasised the importance of education for children. He stressed that “the most important thing we can do is to stop the disease in the community”:

.@DrMikeRyan answering a question about whether it is safe for children to go back to school 👇#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/yXwLQG4hJh

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 4, 2020

It comes as new laws enforcing lockdown restrictions in areas of the north of England including Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire came into force at midnight.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions on Gatherings) (North of England) Regulations 2020 were published 4 August and come into force on 5 August.

Anyone found flouting the rules could be fined £100 up to a maximum of £3,200 for repeat offences.

The latest figures show 46,299 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK as of 5pm on 3 August, up by 89 from the day before.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have now been 56,600 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

The government also said in the 24-hour period up to 9am on 4 August, there had been a further 670 lab-confirmed cases. Overall, a total of 306,293 cases have been confirmed.

Elsewhere, Labour leader Keir Starmer has criticised Boris Johnson in a newspaper column for what he called his “slow response” to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Writing in The Guardian, Starmer said: “Trying to get answers and clarity from the prime minister is a frustrating experience.

“His instincts – to make excuses and blame others – are reminiscent of the schoolboy claiming his dog has eaten his homework.”