‘Schools Should Be the Last to Close and the First to Open’: Australian Expert

A "Welcome Back to School" banner hangs on the fence as students in years 2 to 11 return to school at Fairvale High School in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 25, 2021. AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said no state should delay the return to school to wait for higher vaccination rates of children aged 5 to 11.

“Every government and medical expert in this country needs to follow the lead of the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund, which both state that schools should be the last to close and the first to open,” Coatsworth told Nine’s, Today Show. “We are not in a situation in Australia that requires a delay to school opening.”