It is “still too early to say” when schools will reopen, as the number of coronavirus infections and deaths is not yet “low enough for that to be safe”, the health secretary said today.

Speaking at the government’s daily briefing, Matt Hancock said he could not give a “definitive answer” on when pupils will return to school, because “we haven’t been able to make that decision yet”.

Mr Hancock was asked how the government plans to ease the lockdown for full-time working parents with young children who are unable to attend school, given that grandparents cannot be used as childcare.

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He said: “This is a really good question. And the honest answer I can give you is that it is still too early to say when we’re going to be able to get schools to go back, because there are still too many deaths each day, and the five tests that we set out haven’t been met.

Coronavirus: ‘No decision’ on schools reopening

“Now, I know, especially as a father of three young children, that there’s a yearning from people to know when schools might go back. And, of course, it’s something that we think about and we talk about, and I’m sorry that I can’t give you a more definitive answer.

“But I can’t, because we don’t yet have the number of deaths and the number of infections low enough for that to be safe - to reopen schools - and we don’t yet know how fast the number of new cases will fall. And so we haven’t been able to make that decision yet.”

Mr Hancock was also asked if, apart from shielding, there will be any option for extremely vulnerable children to return to school before a vaccine is available.

He said: “The answer to this is yes. We have made sure in the schools policy that we are working very hard to ensure that those who have extra needs, for instance people with autism and cystic fibrosis, get that extra support.

“It is, of course, very, very hard, though, when that clashes with the medical needs - which have to come first.

“And for those who are in the shielded category, I’m afraid that the safest thing is for them to do is to be shielded, which is not just to stay at home, but really be protected from all contact, because of the consequences should they get the disease.”