Teachers' unions have taken different views on whether schooling should shift online, with the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) saying it is monitoring the situation on the basis of medical advice, and the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) saying the shift should take place immediately owing to the surge in the number of virus cases. In a message on YouTube, the executive head of the UPE, Graham Sansone, said that the teachers' union is alarmed by the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. He said that he is especially concerned about the new UK variant, which is causing more infections among children.