Now that many businesses are being closed and greatly damaged, education needs to be protected from harm by keeping schools open

And even if it was the right decision, the way it was done was dreadful, as almost everyone — including this column — said yesterday.

Closure will cause great harm to business, but the decision is now made. We need now to focus on keeping schools open.

Recently the chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, suggested it was a choice between having schools or hospitality open, not both.

Hospitality is not now reopening. Therefore, schools must continue to teach in class. The education minister Peter Weir has been admirably firm on this point.

Damage has already been done to pupils’ education. They were not in school for almost six months. The most disadvantaged, without computer access, were worst hit. Exam year students also suffered badly– and unjustly. Many children are now isolating, so losing education again.

Paediatricians were highly critical of the long closures.

Already this school year, NI pupils have lost a week of school around Halloween. It should not happen again.

Vulnerable adults are naturally anxious that pupils will get infected and bring the virus home. Young children seem to pose no risk of that.

As they near adulthood, there is a risk, so people who are vulnerable should shield from them. But that risk is not reason to close schools entirely yet again and add educational disaster to economic one.

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