A PARENT has said he will not let his kids go back to school at the start of June if schools open, due to fears of them catching coronavirus.

Rosehill parent Luke Hutton said he felt scared about his children returning to their classrooms.

Meanwhile, Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds said there were still 'big questions' about sending children back to school by June 1 as well as some of the government's other plans as the lockdown continues.

Luke Hutton lives in Rose Hill with three children, two of whom go to Rose Hill Primary School.

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Mr Hutton said he would be too scared to send his children back by then without more certainty from the government.

He said: "If June 1 comes and the schools open up, I am not going to send my kids in, no way."

Instead he suggested waiting until after the summer holidays to re-open.

He added: "I think the government is really trying but if something happens and another peak comes up, what then?"

Children are among the groups at least risk from the coronavirus, but there have been suggestions that they may spread the disease to more at risk age groups.

Mr Hutton's partner Kathleen Jobb thought it would be impossible to stop small children from breaking the two-meter distance limit which is recommended to stop coronavirus from spread.

Ms Jobb said: "How are they going to keep 22 little kids away from each other? They are all going to be so excited to see friends again: they are not going to be able to keep each child two meters apart."

On the BBC's Woman's Hour, Oxford East MP Ms Dodds was asked if she would send her children back to their Oxford school on June 1.

Oxford Mail:

Anneliese Dodds.

But the Shadow Chancellor focussed on Labour party policy, and said: "One of our major concerns is we haven't had the publication of scientific evidence which is lying under some of these decisions. We [Labour] have been pushing government on this and if that evidence suggests there isn't a risk to these families of these children and to teachers, that might be the right decision."

But host Jane Garvey pressed her asking for her opinion as a parent.

Ms Dodds said she would be 'more than happy' to send her child to school if she knew ' by doing so I would not be harming others'.

Ms Dodds added that she was 'one of the lucky ones' as a parent in good health, and said children and parents living with health conditions could be at risk from going back to school.

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The shadow cabinet member also said there was a risk of 'cycling in and out of lockdown' if people went back to work too quickly, which she said would cause more economic damage than an extended furlough.

On Sunday night the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that the government would send children back to schools on June 1.

This was under the condition that the lockdown, which he began easing this week, would continue to be relaxed in coming weeks.