Close schools/Unis and colleges due to new COVID variant until end of January

Rejected 12 signatures

What the petition asks

Close down education systems. Keep online learning open. Cancel exams A-level, GCSE and BTEC.

There is a rise in COVID cases throughout the UK since Schools have remained open and on the rise still. There is now a new variant of the COVID virus which has a 50% - 70% faster spread. Keeping schools open will only hasten the spread of the virus. The COVID fatality rate of children are not as high as opposed to adults and because the majority of children/young people aged 10-21 are asymptomatic to the virus they are more likely to pass it onto their families and spread the disease further.

Why it was rejected

There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.

You may wish to sign this petition calling for university campuses to be closed: Require university campuses to close to stop the spread of COVID-19

Since you started your petition the Government has announced that primary schools, secondary schools and colleges across England must move to remote provision from 5 January 2021, except for vulnerable children and the children of key workers.

The Prime Minister has also said that this will mean it is not possible or fair for all exams to go ahead this summer as normal, and that the Government will work with Ofqual to put in place alternative arrangements. We have published the following petitions, which you might like to sign: Cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021

You can read the Prime Minister's announcement of new Covid-19 restrictions, including school closures, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/prime-ministers-address-to-the-nation-4-january-2021

Timeline

20 Dec 2020	Petition opened for signatures
5 Jan 2021	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 12

Status Rejected

Rejected 5 Jan 2021

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