Scientists have warned that current test and trace measures are inadequate to prevent a second wave of coronavirus following the reopening of schools across the country.
A Lancet study indicates that without an effective test-and-trace system, the spread of the virus following the return to schools may be enough to cause a second wave, which would happen around December 2020, and be more than twice the size of the first.
Increased transmission would be compounded by the fact parents would no longer have to remain home to take care of their children. While researchers supported the return to schools, they continued that more work must be done in order to keep the virus in check.
The government has continued to claim that plans are in place to ensure schools can reopen safely at the start of the new school year and Simon Clarke, minister for regional growth, has said that the NHS Test and Trace system is "maturing all the time". He continued that children returning to school in the autumn is the government’s "top priority" that they would not be “willing to trade".
"You're building an entirely new infrastructure which there's no precedent for.
"But we're confident it is working, we're confident that it will continue to improve, and we're confident that it will allow schools to open safely in the autumn."
Clarke’s comments followed an estimate that only 50 per cent of contacts are successfully being traced at present.
An official government statement said that local authorities will "be able to determine the best action to take to help curb the spread of the virus should there be a rise in cases".
