UK Considers Exempting Students from Quarantine Despite Positive Cases: "Quarantine Harms Children"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] The UK is considering a plan not to quarantine other students even if there are confirmed COVID-19 cases in schools starting from the fall semester.

New Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in Parliament yesterday that the self-isolation policy "has harmed children's education and mental health," and that he would discuss the matter with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, BBC reported on the 29th (local time). In the UK, students are divided into small groups, and if a confirmed case occurs, only the students in that group are quarantined for 10 days.

Currently, in the UK, the number of students self-isolating has surged due to the spread of the Delta variant. The number of students classified as close contacts and self-isolating at school increased from 40,000 on the 10th of this month to 172,000 on the 17th.

However, the UK plans to lift all COVID-19 restrictions from the 19th of next month. The Times also reported, citing government officials, that there are concerns about COVID-19 restrictions being lifted for adults but still imposed on children. A government official said, "We cannot disadvantage children for the sake of adults," adding, "We want to create a normal environment for children as soon as possible."

However, the UK government is expected to make a decision after reviewing the effectiveness of daily on-site COVID-19 testing conducted in some pilot schools.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.