THOUSANDS of schoolchildren will refuse to turn up to lessons to protest the government’s refusal to close schools as fears of coronavirus grow.
A twitter hashtag has sparked a walkout movement among young Brits scared of catching the deadly virus.
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The hashtag #Covid19walkout has inspired thousands to stay at home this Friday while the government insists shutting the doors of schools will be a last-resort option.
School heads and teaching unions are holding talks with Education Secretary Gavin Williamson today as the pressure grows to to close classrooms for at least a month.
An online petition demand closures has reached almost 600,000 signatures.
An Instagram account has been set up for the walkout.
The account wrote: “The government and Boris DON’T want to listen to us, they don’t want to close schools and they don’t want to put the country into lockdown.
“If one student in a school gets the virus, the whole school will be infected within 24 hours. This is why we’re planning the COVID-19 WALKOUT… if the government won’t close schools… then we just won’t attend them.”
Britain’s death toll leapt from 21 to 35 today and included Nick Matthews, 59 — the youngest UK victim.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed the elderly will be told to stay indoors for four months.
Ministers also warned they could be forced to ration products such as toilet roll and beans, if panic buying continues.
General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers told the MailOnline: “Vulnerable children and families are uppermost in our minds. For some children a day at school is a place of sanctuary and nourishment as well as a place of education.”
“Once the immediate issues are under control I am confident that school leaders and their teams will do all that they can to support children and young people throughout the remainder of the crisis.”
Chief Exec of the Confederation of School trust said teachers are working in “extremely challenging circumstances” during “a very fluid situation”.
She said: “It is important to understand that all the big decisions about school closures, exams and the suspension of inspections can only be made by the Government,’ she said.
‘These are not decisions that regulators can make independently.
“CST’s top priorities, in addition to seeking clarity on these big decisions, will be about the arrangements for safeguarding and welfare of our children and young people, and in particular the most vulnerable.”
Mr Williamson is expected to discuss the scheduling of GCSE and A-level tests with school bosses in the meeting, as several universities including the London School of Economic and Kings College London cancel all of their in-person examinations.
Number 10 refused to rule out tests being pushed back because of the coronavirus which has killed 35 people in the UK and infected 1,391.
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