Why do people think opening schools is the be all end all

[Davincitoad]

Why do some people think opening schools will make everything ok? There is an obsession with some people on here every day, open next week, open after Easter, open after May. My kids are bored/suffering/teachers are lazy.

Fine open schools BUT all the carriers out there will still be there. Think about how much it had spread before lockdown. In a few weeks once things open up we will be back to square one. So the solution is send your beloved kids to school, turn off the news and ignore the 1000 deaths a day, because you know woohoo schools are open you got what you wanted?

It won’t make the virus leave. You might be able to work from home better, you might even be able to go shopping but that’s fine as long as your are happy to play chicken with the virus. The modelling that suggested it didn’t have much of an effect if you actually read it is terribly flawed. Given that little Johnny mixes with little Fred, who mixed with god knows who and then gets on the bus home sitting next to little Sue. Little Sues mam catches the virus and little Sue
asymptomatically takes it to school.

The governor report said close playgrounds. Distance in classes. I’m sure you all went to school. What earthly classroom has the space for this. Kick start the economy all you want but the virus won’t GO ANYWHERE. Why is this hard to comprehend for some people? Yes I am a teacher before the teacher bashing brigade get out in force but I am also a human being with half a brain that can see that just opening the schools because people want them to will do nothing for the cause of getting rid of the virus, only make it worse.

[Joliany]

I guess if the schools reopen then it should mean we have got back to normal and life will continue as it was. Its unlikely life will ever be the same tbh, but some people are really struggling with this and I guess schools reopening would give them a bit of hope.🤷‍♂️

[MarieQueenofScots]

Because maintaining a sense of hope of a return it normality is the only thing getting some people through right now.

I’m sure as hell not going to judge people for that.

[Snowflakes1122]

Because they want life to go back to normal, but pushing schools to open too soon will just cause more deaths.

An 11 year old with no health issues died it was announced today. Kids aren’t immune, nor are the teachers or others who work in schools.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Because all normal people hate working from home with children

Because all normal people only really like being round their kids for about 4 hours a day (because kids are really pretty annoying)

[DippyAvocado]

Should the government be making decisions based on giving people a sense of hope though?

[Appuskidu]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/health-52183295

This is an interesting article. The doctor discusses how there are low/moderate/substantial risks at spreading the virus. Opening schools and telling people to go back to work are ‘substantial’ risks.

He says that the order things went in, is likely to be how they are lifted. Schools were about the first thing to change (after washing your hands a lot), so it sounds like they will be the last to reopen.

[Joliany]

Should the government be making decisions based on giving people a sense of hope though

No if course not. They need to make decisions based on science and risk analysis. Doesn't mean people can't hope for change though.

[Tessaraqt]

OP, I get that opening schools won't make the virus leave, but neither does lockdown. Only two things will make the virus leave

1. a vaccine
   
2. heard immunity
   
   And if a vaccine is realistically 18months away, we can't leave schools closed for that long. At some point we have to relax lockdown measures and reopen schools and let the virus spread more, until it threatens to overwhelm the NHS again, and then probably reintroduce lockdown measures. But hopefully by opening schools in May, the peak spread happens over the summer, when the NHS isn't overwhelmed with normal winter flu, and the hot weather seems to reduce the spread of the virus. If we don't open schools until September, we end up with another peak over the winter, which could be worse.

[CoughKeepsOnComing]

I see you are a teacher.

Are you also a parent?

[Lookingforwardtomyeastereggs]

You're saying people are obsessed with opening schools, yet here you are, starting another thread.

What do you actually want from this thread? To start a row? To make out other people are terrible parents who don't care if children die? Are you just very bored?

Btw the 11 yo who died had underlying health issues, not that that makes it any better because it doesn't. But don't scaremonger and bend the truth.

People can discuss whatever they want, they can speculate when things might reopen.

The virus isn't going to go away until there's a safe vaccine and even then it will need to be rolled out. It's unlikely that everything will remain closed until its 100% safe.

[Appuskidu]

But hopefully by opening schools in May, the peak spread happens over the summer, when the NHS isn't overwhelmed with normal winter flu, and the hot weather seems to reduce the spread of the virus. If we don't open schools until September, we end up with another peak over the winter, which could be worse.

May is too early-I expect we will still be in lockdown then. The 12 weeks for vulnerable people is also not up until mid/late June.

I can see a relaxing of some of the low risk levels of activity (as per that article) mid June if numbers have fallen dramatically and the nhs could cope. Maybe schools back for 2 weeks in July.

[LegoBloodyHurts]

So open the schools prior to the summer holidays to deliberately spread the virus?

That’s fine unless it’s someone you love that dies

[Waxonwaxoff0]

The virus is here to stay until we find a vaccine. Are schools going to stay closed for that entire time?

Also why do people on MN think everyone can work from home? I can't and I'm not a key worker, so I haven't been able to work since school closed due to lack of childcare.

I'm not advocating for schools to open too soon but on a personal level I'm concerned about how I'm going to manage. I can't see the government paying furlough indefinitely.

[MarieQueenofScots]

Should the government be making decisions based on giving people a sense of hope though?

Who on earth said that?

The decision on schools opening should be based on nothing more than expert advice on the spread or the virus.

That still doesn’t mean people can’t chat, and hope if it helps them a bit to tackle each day.

[nellodee]

The NHS does not get overwhelmed with winter flu. At least, not compared to how it would get overwhelmed with Covid-19, if we just let it run. It is like comparing a flooding stream to a tsunami. It doesn't matter if the stream is bubbling over (winter), or running low (summer), if you empty an ocean onto it, it makes as good as no difference. And if we don't just let it run, if we just keep it at bubbling stream levels, it will take years upon years to get the mythical herd immunity.

To push the analogy, there is absolutely no way to keep the stream from flooding and move the sea of water that needs to be moved.