The secretary of the Cumbrian National Education Union is concerned that it is not safe enough to reopen schools in just under two weeks.

Prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday that all schools will reopen on March 8.

However, Chris Brooksbank, Cumbria’s NEU secretary, is concerned with the plans.

He said: “While we fully understand the desire to get everyone back into schools as soon as possible we are still quite concerned. 

“It might be too much too quickly, and I feel a lot of staff will think that across the country.

"The Government need to provide more reassurance – we still do not know how it will go.

"We are still well over 100 cases per 100,000 and even more in Cumbria. We still don’t know if it is safe.

"If we have more transmission because of school then that is a real worry.

"We know that young people are at a relatively low risk of being ill from Covid-19, but their parents and grandparents might not be. We are still at higher levels than when we were locking down earlier in the year."

South Lakes MP Tim Farron had credited Boris Johnson’s ‘cautious’ roadmap.
However, Tim is now calling on chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend the existing government support for businesses.

He said: “The Prime Minister is right to be cautious in his approach to make sure that this is the final lockdown.

"As a result of this though, many businesses in the Lake District’s vital hospitality and leisure sectors now know that they won’t be able to fully reopen until mid-May at the earliest.

"With many of the Government’s financial support schemes set to end at the end of March, it’s absolutely critical that the Chancellor immediately announces the extension of furlough, the business rates holiday and the cut in VAT for tourism, and finally provides support for the many workers and self-employed people who have been excluded.”

This has been echoed by Phil Walker, chairman of Westmorland CAMRA, following an estimation from the British Beer and Pub Association said three in five UK pubs will remain closed when outdoor service only is permitted from April 12.

Phil commented: “It is very welcome for me, but not the whole industry because pubs will still be closed. We hope that the government continues to support them.

"Three in five pubs won’t reopen because they don’t have adequate space and the government needs to continue supporting those premises that can’t open.

"We need a bit of business through the doors. It’s good to see the government has dropped the scotched egg debacle and we can go back onto normal hours.”