COVID-19: Should We Be Closing Schools In Australia?
The debate about school closures continues as PM urges Australians to “do as I say not as I do”
During a time of crucial exponential growth as COVID-19 enters Australia, and Australians are being urged to commence strict “social distancing”, the looming question of whether to close schools and early childhood centres is being debated. Social distancing involves limiting interaction with others, avoiding physical contact, and maintaining a distance of at least 1.5m from others. Obviously, an impossible feat in educational centres, particularly childcare, where basic hygiene is still being mastered and close contact is essential for emotional development.
Conflicting information has been offered to Australians, who were initially told that school closures were “not on the horizon”, but also that closures were “inevitable”. A number of schools were forced to close temporarily after students, staff, or parents tested positive for COVID-19, while several private schools voluntarily shut their doors indefinitely.
One consideration is that early closures may mean long closures for an unknown period of time, a situation that would be deeply disruptive to families and the wider community. Opponents have argued that countries who closed schools early…
