Boris Johnson Orders PR Campaign to Ensure Schools Reopen in September - Report

As of 8 August, the United Kingdom has registered almost 310,000 novel coronavirus cases and more than 46,500 fatalities related to the disease, the National Health Ministry data shows.

The UK prime minister has ordered a PR campaign to make sure that schools resume teaching children in classes on time in September, the Sunday Times newspaper reported on Saturday. Boris Johnson has added that schools should be the last places to close even under local lockdowns.

"The PM stressed that the harm done to children's education by not attending school as well as to their mental health is far more damaging than the low risk posed, which schools will be carefully managing", a newspaper source said.

According to the news outlet, Johnson made the decision after he had learned that personal and social “harm” to children is more convincing to parents than fears that their children would fall behind academically.

"Now that we know enough to reopen schools to all pupils safely, we have a moral duty to do so", the PM stressed, adding that a resumption of normal teaching is now his "national priority", as quoted by The Mail.

Previously, the UK government announced its plans to return all pupils to school full-time from September.

In March, schools in the United Kingdom closed during a national lockdown and reopened in June, with only key workers' children being taught in classes since then.