Covid Air Purifiers Promised For Schools Still Undelivered

The government has still not delivered the 7,000 air purifiers it promised to help make schools Covid-safe, ahead of pupils returning from their half term break. During the Christmas holidays ministers said the machines would be sent to schools to help improve ventilation in classrooms, but hundreds are still missing in action.

- Jon Stone

Opposition MPs said government “penny pinching” was to blame and that the promised number of purifiers was too few to cover 30,000 classrooms to begin with. Government scientists have said since May 2020 that improvements to ventilation in indoor settings like schools are essential to stopping the spread of the disease.

They said one way of achieving this – especially when weather is colder and opening windows is less practical – is to install air purifiers. Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, personally promised the air cleaning machines in the new year, and said they would help minimise disruption, but the latest stats show just 6,311 have been delivered half a term later.