If we close schools to prevent coronavirus, thousands of children will go hungry

For too many, schools provide their one hot meal of the day, writes James Moore

1.3m children in the UK are eligible for free school meals (Peter Cade)

We need to talk about food poverty.

One of the “social distancing” measures being discussed as part of the UK’s coronavirus response is closing schools.

According to UNESCO, some twenty-two countries have implemented nationwide closure plans, impacting almost 372.3m children and young people; today, Ireland joined them. There have been localised closures in a further 17 countries, of which the UK is one.