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  • now, though Boris Johnson spent most of today's briefing defending his chief adviser, the prime minister did reaffirm his determination for a phased reopening of schools in England before the summer holidays.

  • They were closed on the 20th of March Toe wall except key workers.

  • Children on vulnerable students.

  • Primary schools will reopen on June, the 1st 2 early years.

  • Pupils reception year one on Dyear six, though that may not be possible in all cases.

  • He added that from the 15th of June, secondary schools would provide some contact two year 10 and 12 students to allow them to begin preparations for exams next year.

  • Well, our education correspondent, Dan Johnson is here with me down a reaffirmation that some schools are going to reopen.

  • But there's still a lot to wind out.

  • There is indeed on teaching.

  • Unions have again expressed safety concerns, saying that parents and teachers need further reassurance need to Seymour of the scientific evidence behind this decision.

  • The advice that was published on Friday said that the risk is low if the right measures are in place and the prime minister did recognize today that it won't be possible for every school to reopen next Monday, even to the limited number of Children that they aim to get back in.

  • And that's being welcome because we know a number of councils have said, well, they aren't ready.

  • Their schools won't be opening the decision to delay the return of some of those older pupils the 15 and 17 year olds who will be facing their GCSE s and A levels next summer that's being well received.

  • They won't go back for at least another fortnight Now on on social distancing, the government issued some guidance today to nurseries and play schools, recognizing that it will be essentially impossible to keep those younger preschool kids apart.

  • But what about primary schools?

  • What can we expect will be smaller class sizes.

  • They'll be staggered, break times and different times for kids being dropped off and picked up all in an attempt to try and spread people out.

  • Stop them mixing.

  • Try to reduce the transmission off the virus.

  • But there are still some big questions about the practicalities, and that is just England.

  • Remember, we don't have a date yet for more kids to go back to school in Wales.

  • In Scotland, it's not expected until August, Northern Ireland.

  • It looks more likely to be September, and ultimately this is going to be a decision that faces each family really, when the time is right for them.

  • But at least in a week's time, some parents will be facing the prospect of returning their kids to school.

  • It's time to dig out just down the school uniform and see if the shoes still fit.

  • Okay, that made it.

  • Thanks, Tangela.

  • Now this week, the official number of deaths in camps in England and Wales from Cove in 19 is expected to pass 10,000 on that number won't include residents who died in hospital care, leaders say.

  • Two months into the pandemic, government support remains patchy and inconsistent.

  • In the last week, the BBC has spoken to more than 100 residential and nursing homes.

  • Nearly 1/3 still have notes.

  • Staff tested for the virus.

  • Ministers say they threw a protective ring around care homes from the start that the majority are Corona virus free.

  • Our social affairs correspondent, Allison Holt, has returned toe one home we've been following throughout the crisis to get their view out of mind for too long.

  • The strain on care staff is so close to the surface.

  • It's like an emotion, you know, You're open down, you know, Then you're caring for people into the hardest conditions.

  • Um, because these people get so sick and so apparently and only be able to hold their hand, not able to give him a cuddle, not be able to do my job.

  • It makes you feel frustrated inside one home.

  • But their experience here tells the story of so many.

  • We followed care staff at ST Ives Lodge in *** Food as they've struggled with Cove in 19 6 residents have died.

  • Now, eight weeks on, they hope they've got the better of the virus.

  • So right from the start, we've tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes.

  • This wasn't what the home manager remembers.

  • Struggling to get testing protective equipment and health support, she felt ignored.

  • We've made sure that care homes have the resources they need to control the spread of infection.

  • Well, that makes me really angry to watch that because it's rubbish going back to that time.

  • And even now we still feel like we're on our own.

  • We have no one.

  • You know, we were making decisions.

  • We were using Google.

  • It was it was It was a nightmare, you know.

  • But we did it.

  • Star flock the home down in early March, Then official advice in England said it was unlikely people in residential and nursing homes would be infected by the virus.

  • That advice changed on March the 13th when care homes were told they should ask no one to visit who has suspected covert 19 or is generally unwell.

  • Three days later sent hives, Large had its first case.

  • A resident who visited hospital regularly, the virus spread to others he sat with at meal times.

  • On the 17th the NHS told hospitals they should urgently discharge all hospital in patients who are medically fit to leave.

  • There's increasing evidence that some patients took the virus into homes.

  • On the 21st the government said the medically vulnerable should shield, including those in care homes.

  • Three days later, locked down began for everyone.

  • At this point, the representatives of key care organizations believe that their voice was not really being heard at the heart of government.

  • The focus was on preventing hospitals being overwhelmed.

  • I think it says something about how we value people in the care system, Vic Rainer, who represents not for Profit Care homes, says.

  • In March some residents were receiving blanket letters from GPS, saying they might not be taken to hospital.

  • We will be signing forms to say if your heart and breathing stop the cares will not try to resuscitate you then will not be ambulances available to come and continue any resuscitation or take you to hospital.

  • The home that received this letter refused to pass it on to its residents.

  • It's not thinking about people.

  • It's not thinking about individuals.

  • It's thinking about a process and a system what it's saying, the system can't help you.

  • Three weeks into lock down with the pandemic at its peak, council directors of Social Care wrote to the government, describing protective equipment.

  • Distribution is shambolic.

  • Guidance is contradictory and saying social care appeared on afterthought.

  • Four days later, the health and Care secretary set out his action plan.

  • The government insists it's provided the care sector with protective equipment testing and extra money.

  • And in a system that was already under funded and under pressure.

  • There's talk of the longer term reform that's needed.

  • I'm hopeful that this crisis will mean that the government realizes it can't afford not to reform social care.

  • I think too often in the past, the focus has been on the cost of reform without thinking about the human and financial consequences of not reforming for residents and care staff.

  • Getting this right for the future couldn't be more important.

now, though Boris Johnson spent most of today's briefing defending his chief adviser, the prime minister did reaffirm his determination for a phased reopening of schools in England before the summer holidays.

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