Anti-vaxxers outside schools branded 'idiots spreading vicious lies'
Exclusion zones could be used to tackle the issue
The Health Secretary criticised anti-vaxxers who protested outside schools as he said exclusion zones are an option to protect children.
Sajid Javid said children have been injured in clashes with protesters, who are spreading "vicious lies".
Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer has called for councils to be able to use exclusion orders to prevent harassment of staff and pupils by anti-vaxxers outside schools.
"These people are doing so much damage"
Questioned on Sky News about protests in which three children were injured, the Cabinet minister said: "These people are doing so much damage.
"First of all, here you have three children that are injured, actually physically injured, and that's heartbreaking to see - children going about what they should be doing, going to school every day, and you've got, frankly, these idiots outside their school spreading vicious lies.
"It is becoming a growing problem as time goes by."
He said there are options for tackling the problem - "in terms of whether it's an exclusion zone, or other potential action, I think it's got to be done at a local level".
"If you've injured children, that is a criminal act and I hope in that case police are able to track those people down."
"Spreading dangerous misinformation"
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) revealed earlier this month that most of the schools surveyed by the union (79%) have been targeted by anti-vaxxers.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it is "sickening" that those against vaccinations are demonstrating at school gates.
"It is sickening that anti-vax protesters are spreading dangerous misinformation to children in protests outside of schools," he said.
"Labour believes the law around public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) urgently needs to be updated so that local authorities can rapidly create exclusion zones for anti-vax protests outside of schools."
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) revealed earlier this month that most of the schools surveyed by the union (79%) have been targeted by anti-vaxxers.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it is "sickening" that those against vaccinations are demonstrating at school gates.
Also, some 18 schools said protesters had gained access and protested inside the school premises, and 20 said they had received communications threatening physical harm to staff.
Most of the harassment by anti-vaxxers reported to ASCL had been through emails threatening legal action, though the union said staff had been threatened with physical harm while some protesters had gained access to school sites.
Coronavirus facts
What is Covid-19?
Covid-19 emerged as a virus in December 2019 as the first cases are reported in Wuhan, China. Scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus created a global pandemic as it began to spread around the world. Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, causing death in some cases. Some people are completely asymptomatic and do not realise they even have the virus.
Has there been a virus like this before?
The SARS pandemic in 2003 was similar to Covid-19 in that it was also caused by a coronavirus. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The global outbreak of SARS lasted from 2002-2003, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774. Covid-19 and SARS are both respiratory illnesses, but SARS was much more deadly and less infectious.
What are the main symptoms?
The NHS say the main Covid-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and loss or change to taste of sense or smell. NHS advises people with Covid-19 to take plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take paracetamol for a high temperature.
What was the Government reaction?
The UK Government announced the first of several lockdowns in March 2020. By the end of the month, more than 100 countries around the world introduce full or partial lockdowns, preventing people from going to work, restricting everyday tasks and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people globally.
Which countries have been worst hit?
During the first year of the pandemic, the US recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world and the most deaths, reporting an unprecedented 100,000 new cases in one day on November 4th 2020. Thousands of new cases were recorded on the same date in India (46,000+), the United Kingdom (22,000+), Brazil (17,000+) and Mexico (5,000+), while Ireland records less than 1,000 (578). Hundreds of other countries also reported a high rate of infection.
How have vaccines fought against Covid-19?
Vaccines began being approved for use across the globe. By January 2021, the UK approved the use of three different vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are rolled out to the public, with older people and those with greater health concerns getting priority. In April 2022, just under 53 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
What are new Covid variants?
Four new variants of Covid-19 were discovered around the world. Beta was found in South Africa, Gamma in Brazil and Delta in India, while the Alpha variant was first located in Kent, UK. New variants are not likely to make someone more seriously ill than Covid-19 would, but variants like Delta have a higher infection rate, meaning it can be more easily spread.
The Omicron variant was first detected late 2021 in South Africa. Since then, it has become one of the most dominant variants in the world, with its own sub strains - BA.4 and BA.5.