LOCAL MP Mike Amesbury is urging caution as children prepare to return to school tomorrow, Monday to ensure the safety of teachers and support staff.
Mr Amesbury, who lives in Frodsham, said: “There are going to be parents, carers and grandparents (in the support bubble) pleased to see children going back to school from Monday.
“But it has to be done with caution in terms of ensuring the safety of teachers and wider support staff.
“It would have been great to see the Government use the recent February half-term to vaccinate school employees.
“And while we know the vast majority of young people don’t suffer seriously with the virus, there is the concern they will be mixing and could take COVID home.
“Schools have worked extremely hard to make the learning environment as safe as possible. And there will be an extensive testing regime in place, albeit the Government put that in place rather late in the day.
“But there will be a lot of anxiety in the air, which can impact on everyone, from the little ones upwards.
“The pressure on young people has been enormous. This global pandemic has no doubt left them frightened about what the future holds for themselves and their families. Then there are the lost days and that lost year in education for so many and the pressure to catch up.
“So I welcome the £79m funding announced on Friday to help children with mental health issues. However, I would like to see more detail because it’s those very services that have been cut over a decade.
“Hopefully we are starting to come out of this awful phase in our lives. I would like to finish by wishing everyone a safe and happy return to schools from Monday.”