Latest updates: health secretary says new variant is ‘even more of a problem’ as he says government will not ‘rule anything out’ in considering another lockdown
In Cardiff Vaughan Gething, the Welsh health minister, is holding a briefing on coronavirus. There is a live feed at the top of the blog. Gething opened by saying that the vaccine was being rolled out in Wales, but that the country was “not out of the woods yet” because of the ongoing threat.
Boris Johnson claimed this morning that teachers are no more at risk of getting coronavirus than anyone else. (See 11.44am.) Responding to this on Sky News, Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, challenged the government to produce the evidence to support the claim. He also said that his union had evidence suggesting teachers are more at risk. He said:
We’ve been conducting evidence gathering from employers which does indicate that teachers and staff working in schools are contracting the virus at a higher rate than other adults in the local population.
So it’s just not true that schools can operate in a manner which is safe and coronavirus free unless there are tough measures in place to ensure the safety of those who are working there.
