14 October 2020
Professor Russell Viner, President of RCPCH, responds to the planned 'part lockdown' in Northern Ireland.
Professor Russell Viner, President of RCPCH said:
As paediatricians we've been clear that harm caused by absence from school far outweighs the risk of keeping schools open. All the international evidence shows that schools and primary school children in particular, play only a limited role in transmission of this virus. Our position remains that schools should be the last to close and the first to open. We urge all parties to prioritise children in this next phase of the pandemic and encourage political leaders to minimise the duration of school closures.