Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously come under fire for the so-called tapering approach that he had devised with the help of scientists, their aim being; to gradually close down public premises in order to safeguard the UK’s economy and alleviate any potential pressure on the NHS.
Dr Mandie Shean, the lecturer for the School of Education in the Faculty of Education and Arts at Edith Cowan University Australia, gave her views on the matter.
Sputnik: How can children cope with being in lockdown at home during the Coronavirus?
Dr Mandie Shean: At the moment we are giving parents great apps that they can use for some learning, encouraging them to do everyday things, like just going and making cakes together, someone suggested learning how to change a tyre and those kinds of things.
Particularly we are saying to parents that they don’t have to run a six-hour school day, it’s not about that; they just need to keep some of the reading and basic skills going.
Sputnik: Could parent’s mental health also be affected?
We are trying to help parents and children be connected in other ways, so doing live classes online and meeting up on apps and things, so there are ways that we can connect.
Sputnik: How will low-income parents be able to cope financially during the Coronavirus lockdown periods?
Dr Mandie Shean: How they cope during that time I’m not sure, it’s probably an area that we’ve never been in before, to have been this isolated for this long. When you think about hairdressers, restaurant workers, sporting groups and more; there are just so many people who are going to be disadvantaged at this time.
I think that the best solution at the end of this, is that we go and be generous, and go and support people in the community with the finances that we have.
