Coronavirus: Blackpool Council 'will not force schools to reopen'

Schools in Blackpool can reopen to more pupils from 1 June but will not be forced to do so, its council has said.

Blackpool's director of public health Dr Arif Rajpura said there was clear evidence the risk to children from the virus was lower than for adults.

However, the council said as the town has one of England's highest Covid-19 infection rates, it will "continue to monitor the situation closely".

Neighbouring Lancashire County Council has advised schools not to reopen.

Dr Rajpura told The Local Democracy Reporting Service that there was "clear evidence that the risk to children from Covid-19 infection is lower than in the general population".

He said the opening of schools was "important in supporting children's welfare and education", and would allow parents and carers "to resume their normal working lives".

He added that schools would need to consider "changes in work practices" and "increasing cleaning regimes" before opening.

Weekly figures released on Thursday by Public Health England showed Blackpool had 447 cases per 100,000 people, the sixth highest rate in the country.

Jim Gardner, the medical director of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said he was "a bit" concerned about the reopening of schools, but other factors had to be balanced, including the "real harm that's been done to children through not attending school".