Wales announced on Friday that following the rapid spread of a new variant, its schools and colleges will stay closed until the mid-February half term unless numbers of CCP virus cases drop significantly. “We are taking this action today because this new variant is far more infectious and is leading to increased numbers of people being hospitalized,” Education Minister Kirsty Williams told the BBC. “Schools and colleges have been safe and secure environments throughout the pandemic and that continues to be the case,” she said. “However, the latest TAC [Technical Advisory Cell] report is clear on education’s contribution. We know that school and college settings can contribute to wider social mixing outside the education environment and, right now, we all have to play our part in suppressing this virus,” she added. With some exceptions for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils, learning for schools and colleges in Wales …