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Boris Johnson's plan for the reopening of elementary schools on June 1 threatens to be blown up , amid growing opposition from teachers, parents, unions, and mayors who feel it is not " sure, "with the highest death toll from coronavirus in Europe (35,704) and with experts warning that infection levels among the population are still very high.

More than 1,500 schools have announced that they will not open their doors on the indicated date and municipalities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Calderdale or Gateshead have anticipated that they will keep their schools closed. Downing Street has been forced to back down and acknowledge that June 1 is the "earliest possible" date , but only if the security conditions are met.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has held several unsuccessful meetings with teacher unions, which have been outright against going back to school for children between first and sixth grade, announced by Johnson himself in his controversial de-escalation plan.

Only 5% of teachers support the government's plans and 92% acknowledge that they do not feel safe , according to a survey by the NASUWT union. 87% claim protection equipment and 72% consider that the Government's plans to maintain social distance and divide classrooms into small groups is "impractical" .

Another poll, conducted by Childcare.co.uk, shows that 62% of parents oppose the government's plans and think that schools should not be reopened until September. Parents favoring the reopening have acknowledged that they are experiencing "harassment" to boycott the return to school.

Johnson faces in any case a new revolt in full de-escalation, after the resignation of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to abide by his new slogan ("Be Alert") considering that it is premature to lift the confinement. The rebellion is now brewing in the municipalities, mostly Labor s.

"We have the power to prevent our 110 elementary schools from opening on June 1, and we will do so if necessary," said Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson. Matin Bannon, Mayor of Gateshead, said his school district will also not follow orders: "The national notice telling us it's over and that schools can open is downright crazy . "

Even conservative-majority municipalities, such as Solihull, have warned that they will not be able to meet Johnson's schedule. "The government has an ambition to reopen June 1, but the reality is that we are going to need that first week to really make sure that schools are ready to receive students," said Council Member Ian Courts.

Experts call for a tracking system

Government experts themselves have shown deep divisions before the decision. "Changes in the removal of confinement should be based on infection levels and not on specific dates," said Angela McLean, deputy science adviser. John Edmunds, a member of the Scientific Committee for Emergencies (SAGE), told Sky News that before schools reopen, "a tracking system" of the pandemic must be put in place.

In his appearance in Parliament, Boris Johnson confirmed on Wednesday that the tracking system, capable of tracking up to 10,000 contacts a day, will finally be operational from June 1 . Labor opposition spokesman Keir Starmer accused the prime minister of lowering his guard in tracking the virus and testing the population, "which have proven to be the two most effective tools, as has been proven in Korea. from the south".

In his third parliamentary confrontation, Starmer was more condescending with the 'premier' and decided not to bring up the pressing issue of back to school. With the high number of deaths and daily infections, which are still the highest in Europe , many experts consider that the United Kingdom is not in a position to emulate countries that have already reopened schools, such as Denmark.

The British Government has issued a series of instructions in advance to schools to reopen , bringing forward the hours, instituting hand washing at the start of classes, forming small groups and separating the desks, and asking parents to wash their clothes. returns from school.

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