Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “The measures announced by the Prime Minister are severe but they meet the urgent need to get the virus back under control. We are grateful to the Government for allowing communal worship and key life-cycle ceremonies to continue but urge people to be meticulous in following the guidelines over numbers and social distancing. As schools have been forced to close once again with summer exams cancelled, we ask that arrangements be urgently put in place to ensure fairness in the education system and around results. We call for vaccines for teachers and other school workers to be expedited. Just as in wider society, Covid-related deaths in our community have risen sharply over recent weeks. Nobody can afford to be complacent.”
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