Childcare’s return vital if the economy is to fully restart

Arlene Foster, the first minister, was so concerned yesterday to learn about a fresh delay in the reopening of childcare facilities that she has raised the issue with the Department of Health and its minister Robin Swann. Mrs Foster rightly made it clear that there should be no further delay.

While it is undoubtedly welcome that non-essential shops in Northern Ireland are permitted to reopen from tomorrow, it does pose a headache for staff who may now need to secure childcare at such short notice.

How can they return to work properly, with schools still off, almost certainly until late August at the earliest, and with most grandparents still not permitted to look after their grandchildren?

Apparently a Department of Health panel will meet later this week and make a decision on childcare facilities reopening. Assuming they do that, it’s a welcome and necessary step, not least for those childcare organisations which are in a dire financial situation and can ill-afford to remain closed indefinitely.

However, there is also the looming question over the return of schools. The most recent hints from Education Minister Peter Weir that classes may not resume properly here in August and September are a disaster for children’s education, and they also have big implications for the economy. Children only returning to class for a day or two a week simply doesn’t equate to a proper education. It also leaves working parents with a logistical nightmare.

Many parents have worked at home through these last few months, while also attempting (for many in vain) to home school. To suggest that this may continue into the autumn is simply unacceptable. Children are increasingly the forgotten story of this pandemic. It’s about time they became a priority.