Key data on health workers

In the absence of alternative options, some working parents are obliged to leave their children alone when schools close. Other working parents miss work or reduce their working hours in order to take care of their children, incurring wage cuts and possibly financial strain. There has been the risk of strain on health-care systems and other key areas, as key workers are disproportionately likely to be female and parents (figure 6). It is for this reason that France and Belgium, for instance, have maintained a childcare service even with schools closed.