Covid: Upton-upon-Severn school keeps face masks rule

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs that face masks would not be needed in schools from Thursday 20 January

Students at a school have been told to keep wearing face masks in their classrooms despite the government saying they were no longer compulsory.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs they would not be needed from Thursday 20 January.

But Lindsey Cooke, head teacher at Hanley Castle High School, Worcestershire, said she felt the decision was too sudden.

"I do think this was a very rushed announcement," she said.

Parents of pupils at the school, near Upton-upon-Severn, have been told to keep sending their children into school in masks for a few more days.

Mrs Cooke said staff wanted some more time to see if the national trend of falling Covid infection rates was being reflected locally.

"Our year 11 and year 13 exam groups have missed so much school already; what we do not want to do is to rush into taking masks off and then get another outbreak in those year groups," she added.

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The government made the announcement about face masks in schools as part of ending England's Plan B measures.

Mr Johnson said the country was reverting to "Plan A" due to boosters and how people had followed the restrictions.

Citing the latest infection study by the Office for National Statistics, he said its data showed infections levels were falling in England.

In the Malvern Hills district, which covers Upon-upon-Severn, the rate fell from 1120.3 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to 7 January, to 679.7 for the week after.