[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The New York Times reported on the 5th (local time) that the number of students infected with or showing suspected symptoms of COVID-19 has significantly increased in the UK, where mask-wearing is not mandatory in schools.
The UK Department of Education announced that 186,000 students were absent due to confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms. This is a 78% increase compared to the number of absent students recorded for the same reason on the 16th of last month.
Despite the spread of COVID-19, the England region decided last month to allow millions of students to attend school without vaccination or masks.
The NYT pointed out, "Parents are constantly weighing the risk of their children getting infected against the risk of missing out on normal education due to absences."
There continues to be controversy over the government's measures. Opponents raise concerns about the infection risk to children, while supporters emphasize the normalization of education.
However, the government stresses that 90% of the 8.4 million public school students are attending classes, which are proceeding close to normal. They particularly highlight that nearly all citizens aged 65 and over have been vaccinated, sufficiently protecting vulnerable groups.
They also emphasize that antigen tests are conducted twice a week for high school students and staff to identify asymptomatic cases.
Currently, about 30,000 new daily cases are reported in the UK, which is 10,000 to 20,000 fewer than the peak. The daily death toll, which was close to 2,000 in January this year, has also decreased to around 200.
The NYT stated, "Students are exposed to risks of severe illness, death, and 'Long COVID' (long-term aftereffects of COVID-19)," adding, "So far, about 9,000 children have been hospitalized after infection, and there have been deaths."
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