THE government must be honest with the public and stop hiding Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) advice on the return of schools and colleges, Labour urged today.

The call came as senior scientists from the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) warned that schools may have to remain shut in order to control coronavirus transmission.

Nervtag’s Professor Neil Ferguson said that closing schools could be required as an “alternative to having exponentially growing numbers of hospitalisations.”