U.K. PM Johnson Says 'We're Ready' As Schools Set To Open Monday

Children in the U.K. are getting ready to return to school Monday after a two-month closure thanks to a robust coronavirus testing program. 

High schools and colleges will be allowed to reopen in phases to allow for three rounds of testing. Students will then get kits so they can test themselves twice more at home. 

Schools reopening is the first step in the U.K. government's plan to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions as the country's vaccination drive gains critical mass, with all restrictions lifted by June. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "I'm massively grateful to parents who've put up with so much throughout the pandemic and teachers who've done an amazing job of keeping going. But I do think that we're ready. I think people want to go back. I think they feel it. They feel the need for it. And you ask about the risk. I think the risk is actually in not going back to school tomorrow, given all the suffering, all the loss of learning we have seen."

Additional reporting by Kelvin Chan of The Associated Press.