schools across much of the UK looks set
to close their doors and shut down by
the end of the week the government's in
Scotland and Wales have been first to
announce their plans as part of the
measures to tackle the coronavirus
crisis Boris Johnson says an
announcement on the rest of the UK is
imminent well let's go to our
correspondent Gordon who joins me now
and Glasgow this announcement from the
First Minister a short time ago yes I'm
an Nicola Sturgeon Scotland's first
minister made this announcement within
the last hour it's not entirely
unexpected there have been increasing
reports of growing absences in schools
people keeping their children home
Nicola 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 it in her view it was inevitable
the schools and nurseries in Scotland
will close by the end of the week and
that many schools have lost too many
staff to continue and my view is that it
is now inevitable that we will close
schools and nurseries and my planning
assumption know is that schools will
close to pupils at the end of this week
and I wanted today to give parents
notice of that know there are two key
drivers of that view first is the
science Sager expert scientific advisors
are examining new advice set 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 self isolate or to a silly as a
household more and more schools are
approaching a point where they have lost
too many staff to continue as normal and
the criticism as we know of this move
has always been that this means those
trying to fight the coronavirus
particular in hospitals are going to
have children themselves well yeah
mr. gen said they're working on the
finer details of how this will actually
work in practice they're putting in
arrangements to address key issues she
described it as saying for them from
next week schools will have a new
purpose they're looking at how they can
mitigate the impact
we'll 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 and of course they
are trying to ensure that key workers
doctors nurses care workers and other
critical staff can continue working
through this outbreak
I think perhaps that will mean that some
some classes in some areas might stay
open it's not entirely clear yet and
clearly it has not been an easy decision
to make but it is not an 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 are told
there are now 220 confirmed cases here
in Scotland that's an increase of 32
from yesterday and sadly the news that a
third person in Scotland has died from
covered 19 Lorna thank you for that
update Lorna Gordon there in Glasgow
let's go to work respond 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 an announcement the statement puts
out just after 1 o'clock let me read you
a little bit of what she had to say she
said we're bringing forward the Easter
break for schools in Wales schools
across Wales with clothes from the
statutory provision of Education at the
latest on the 20th of March so from this
Friday she went on similar words to
Nicola 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 to grandparents isn't an option for
many families at the moment but there
are many other people who'll 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
people that care homes would they
qualify as frontline workers who might
be able to make use of this now child
care centers aren't being closed and
that's important because people with
very very young children have gone back
to work in the last couple of years may
not affect them the other vital question
is once you close the schools how long
will it last I've asked the Welsh
Government what this means in terms of
timing the fortnight school holiday is
being brought forward so we know they'll
be closed for at least two weeks will
they then will that roll into the
planned 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 you
know who aren't able to go in into the
schools in terms of checking their
health is there an argument may be that
they would be better off within the
schools that's what some parents have
been saying how thank your honor shall
Griffith there were the latest from
Wales and just hearing that the
education secretary Gavin Williamson is
going to be making a stem in the Commons
at five o'clock this afternoon and
widely predicted to be announcing
similar measures for the rest of the UK
so that's five o'clock this afternoon
Gavin Williamson the education secretary
make his statement House of Commons