Updated COVID strategy for schools is needed, PN says

The Nationalist Party has called on the government to publish an updated COVID-19 strategy for the education sector, before schools reopen next month.

The party said educators, students and parents have a right to know as soon as possible what the government's plans are.

It said that the tourism and entertainment industry must also be given guidance as it recalled government's "mishandling" of English language schools, which saw them close only weeks after reopening.

The PN said the government had promised that when the population was 85% vaccinated, it would reintroduce certain activities that have yet to happen despite the target being reached.

"The government should also be clear about a vaccination programme for the booster shot, particularly for the elderly and front-liners who were among the first to receive the vaccine earlier this year," the party said.

Schools were shut for a brief period this year when cases surged around March but reopened with mitigation measures after the Easter holidays.