British parents received mixed messages this week. On the one hand, most children would not be going back to school until September at the earliest. On the other, zoos would be reopening. It's a shame about the decay in maths and reading skills, but look on the bright side: penguins!

The closure of schools in many countries around the world puts the dilemmas of the pandemic in particularly sharp relief. There are no easy answers, but I worry that the question is not being given enough priority. We are at risk of making a mistake now with consequences that will last.