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  • schools across much of the UK looks set to close their doors and shut down by the end of the week.

  • The governments in Scotland and Wales have been first to announce their plans as part of the measures to tackle the Corona virus crisis.

  • Boris Johnson's has an announcement on the rest of the UK is imminent.

  • Well, let's go to our correspondent on the Gordon who joins me now in Glasgow.

  • This announcement from the first minister short time ago.

  • Yes, Simon Nicolas Sturgeon's Scottish first minister, made this announcement within the last hour.

  • It's not entirely unexpected.

  • There have bean increasing reports of growing absences and schools, people keeping their Children home.

  • Nichola Sturgeon said that this was one of the hardest decisions that the Scottish government has had to make so far as this virus spreads.

  • But she said that her view it was inevitable the schools on nurseries in Scotland will close by the end of the week and that many schools have lost too many staff to continue.

  • My view is that it is no inevitable that we will call schools on our cities on my planning assumption no is that schools will cause to People's at the End off this week, and I wanted to de to give parents notice off that.

  • No, there are two key drivers off that view.

  • First is the science.

  • See Joe Expert Scientific advisers are examining new invasive.

  • Literally as we speak, I expect that that is likely to tell us to close schools.

  • Secondly, we have the reality on the ground as people do the right thing and follow the advice to sail face elite or to a silly as a household, more than more skills at approaching a point where they have lost too many staff to continue as normal on the criticism as we know off this move has always bean that this means those trying to fight the coronavirus particular hospitals are gonna have Children themselves.

  • Well, Mr Jin said, they're working on the finer details of how this will actually work in practice.

  • That putting in arrangements to address key issues, she described it saying, From next week, schools will have a new purpose.

  • They're looking at how they can mitigate the impact it will have on people on pupils who are taking exams.

  • They're looking on how they can support vulnerable students who rely on free school meals on, Of course, they are trying to ensure that key workers, doctors, nurses, care workers on other critical staff can continue working through this outbreak.

  • I think perhaps that will mean that sums, some classes and some areas might stay open.

  • It's not entirely clear yet, and clearly it has not bean an easy decision to make, but it is not on unexpected one.

  • But the reason behind it, or part of the reason behind it, is to try and slow the spread of the virus.

  • It seems unsustainable to keep the schools open, and in amongst it we get these figures every day.

  • These updates of how many people have tested positive.

  • We're told there are now 220 confirmed cases here in Scotland.

  • That's an increase of 32 from yesterday on.

  • Sadly, the news that 1/3 person in Scotland has died from covered 19 Lorna, thank you for that update.

  • Lorna Gordon there in Glasgow.

  • Let's get across one.

  • How Griffith, who's in Cardiff and the announcement there that the Easter holiday starts early?

  • Yeah, absolutely.

  • Kirsty Williams, the Welsh education minister, was the first within the UK to make announcement.

  • That statement put out just after one o'clock.

  • Let me read you a little bit of what she had to say, she said.

  • We're bringing for With Easter break for schools in Wales, schools across rails were closed stategy provisional education at the latest on the 20th of March.

  • So from this Friday, she went on similar words to Nicholas Sturgeon.

  • From next week, schools will have a new purpose.

  • They will support those most in need, including people involved in the immediate response to the Corona virus outbreak.

  • What does that mean?

  • Who will qualify that is all yet to be cleared up?

  • The first thought obviously would go to NHS staff who potentially both parents if their mother and father in the home might work within the NHS.

  • Handing kids over the grand parents isn't an option for many families at the moment, but there are many other people who will want to know what will happen to them.

  • Would they be able to make use of these facilities?

  • People who were support workers within the community, people that care homes, would they qualify as front line workers might be able to make use of this.

  • No child care centers aren't being close, and that's important because people with very, very young Children have gone back to work in last couple of years may not affect them.

  • The other vital question is, once you close the schools, how long will it last?

  • I asked the Welsh government what this means in terms of timing.

  • The fortnight school holiday is being brought forward, so we know they will be closed for at least two weeks.

  • Will they?

  • Then will that roll into the plant two week Easter break?

  • We don't yet know that seems likely.

  • But what, then, will schools be back after a month?

  • No one at the moment really knows.

  • And that includes the head teachers and working within the schools and obviously, the parents.

  • And one other consideration is what will happen to the Children who aren't able to go into the schools in terms of checking their health.

  • Is there an argument may be that there would be better off within the schools?

  • That's what some parents have been saying.

  • How thank you want child Griffiss.

  • There were the latest from Wales on just hearing that the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, is gonna be making a stem in the Commons at five oclock this afternoon and widely predicted to be announcing similar measures for the rest of the UK.

  • So that's five clocks.

  • Afternoon, Gavin Williamson, the education secretary making, stepped in the House of Commons.

schools across much of the UK looks set to close their doors and shut down by the end of the week.

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