Government issues list of key workers who can continue to send their children to school during the closures due to coronavirus pandemic
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Government advice has been published regarding which parents can continue to send their children to school after the closure due to the coronavirus.
The advice includes what are classed as key workers and they are divided into eight categories.
They include those working in the health and social care sectors however this is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers.
A government website states it also includes support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK's health and social care sector – those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
The second sector is education and childcare which includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
Key public services is the third sector which includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
Local and national government is the fourth sector which only includes those administrative occupations essential to what is described as "the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies".
The fifth sector is described as food and other necessary goods and includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods – for example hygienic and veterinary medicines.
Public safety and national security is also listed and includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel, those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, fire and rescue service employees, including support staff, National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
Transport is the seventh sector listed and includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
The final sector is listed as utilities, communication and financial services and includes staff needed for essential financial services provision including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure, the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors including sewerage.
The sector also includes information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications, including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services, postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
Government advice states: "If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.
"If your school is closed then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend.
"We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease."
