SCHOOLS in London borough Greenwich will shut from Monday amid warnings of an “exponential growth” in Covid cases.
The council was told the spike “demands immediate attention” after new cases went above 200 per 100,000 people – higher than the national average.
Council leader Danny Thorpe said in a statement that Public Health England had advised the council to shut all 133 schools as the situation in relation to Covid was “escalating extremely quickly.”
They will now close on Monday, instead of Thursday, which would have been the last day before the Christmas holidays.
It comes as the capital looks set to go from Tier 2 to Tier 3 when measures are reviewed on Wednesday.
In an open letter, Cllr Thorpe said the risk was “extreme”.
“The situation in Greenwich in relation to Covid-19 is now escalating extremely quickly,” he said.
“I have today been briefed by colleagues from Public Health England that the pandemic in Greenwich is now showing signs that we are in a period of exponential growth that demands immediate action.
“We now have the highest rates of infection in Greenwich than at any time since March.
“For these reasons, I have therefore asked all schools in Greenwich to close their premises from Monday evening and move to online learning for the duration of the term, with the exception of key worker children and those with specific needs (exactly the same as in the first lockdown).”
And in a separate missive to headteachers, the official said: “I’m sorry to disturb a weekend, but frankly I know they almost seem a thing of the past given how hard you are working.
“I’ve had a number of conversations with heads over the last week and I
know how difficult things have been, especially the last week.
“It has become clear in the last few days that rates of Covid-19 are rising extremely rapidly, both within Greenwich and across London.
“The latest data seems to suggest the rate of infection is doubling in the city every four days.”
It’s claimed London could be split into different tiers to keep central areas booming – while shutting down Covid hotspots on the outskirts.
Tory MPs have urged Boris Johnson not to inflict “untold damage” on the capital by shifting it into the highest tier.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is now thought to be considering shifting the hardest hit parts of London into Tier 3 – while leaving the centre in Tier 2.
That would allow pubs and restaurants in the West End to keep their doors open during one of their busiest times of the year.
Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove is reportedly one of the MPs who have suggested that only the London boroughs that have the highest infection rates – on the outskirts of the city – should be placed in Tier 3.
They say putting all of London in Tier 3 will cause a £3billion catastrophic hit to the economy.
The worst affected areas of the capital are in the east, including Walthamstow, Redbridge, Newham and Barking.
Nationally, Swale in Kent continues to have the highest rate in England, with 630.3 cases per 100,000 people.
Medway, also in Kent, has the second highest rate, while Basildon in Essex is in third place.
