No Social Distancing

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

DH went into town to collect our meds.

It's been very quiet for weeks, it's never been what might be called a bustling little town. He was surprised at the number of people about, milling around and not really keeping a distance. A few, mainly elderly, were wearing masks.

The chemist is quite small and only one at a time inside. There are marks on the pavement outside for an orderly queue. Up until today it's been very civilised. DH joined on the back of 5 or 6 people.

A man came up and made as if to go straight in. A couple of people pointed out the queue but he got quite stroppy saying we didn't need to do that any more it was over. The chemist came out and said he would need to queue and he stomped off in a huff.

It this the beginning of the second wave?

[BeingonFBdoesntmakeittrue]

I doubt it.

[SuckingDieselFella]

There have been idiots like this from the beginning.

[feelingverylazytoday]

So people were still observing social distancing apart from one stroppy man? And you think that's going to trigger a second wave?

[savehalloween]

Can you not see how alarmist this is?

Of course more people are around, we are easing lockdown. Why would that cause a second wave? Do you think everyone has been in lockdown for the past 10 weeks harbouring coronavirus?

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

So people were still observing social distancing apart from one stroppy man? And you think that's going to trigger a second wave?

Quite the reverse. I said so in the OP. People weren't keeping a distance.

Why would that cause a second wave? Do you think everyone has been in lockdown for the past 10 weeks harbouring coronavirus?

I surmised this from an article I just read in the Guardian, but I expect you think you know better.

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

A similar thing happened to me except that it was 'coughing man' shoving up behind me in the queue.

Yeah - I think we'll see a spike soon but it's only disposable people who die and anyway my DC has mental health issues through having to stay home for two months so what does it matter.

[Mrhodgeymaheg]

Probably not yet based on one person being a dick. Possibly when schools are open fully and people are back working crammed into tiny offices. What would be your strategy for avoiding a second wave exactly? Kids missing a massive chunk of their education, staying indoors and everything shut indefinitely. We don't even know if a vaccine will work yet and if it does, it's month away.

Do you work OP?

[AddedHiccup]

People have been avoiding the queue since the start. And since queues began back in the Iron Age.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

The schools won't be opening as they used to be for quite some time. It will still be part time in September, just better organised so that all children get some time in school, apart from the medically vulnerable.
That's what my teaching friends have been told to plan for.

Both DS's have been told to work from home until January at the earliest, and maybe after that. I don't think offices will be full again for a long time. Many of my friends are working from home, very successfully. Those who have to be in the office have plenty of room for social distancing at the moment.

I'm sure we all hope for a vaccine but until it happens then Covid 19 will be a threat.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

I think school will be back to normal by September. Part time won't work for a lot of reasons.

But I'm actually in the camp of thinking the virus will be gone quicker than a lot of us expect.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

I think school will be back to normal by September. Part time won't work for a lot of reasons.

Wishful thinking. Not safe for children or staff.

[Mbc124]

In my town there were around 600 cases around 5 weeks ago. There are now 720 despite the huge increase in tests and I don’t think they take the 600 off those numbers if they recover or pass away. It seems to me that it is tailing off now. The population of the town is 230,000.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

Dom September is 3 months away. We have no idea what developments will happen between now and then. Your opinion is no more likely than mine is. Ni one knows what will happen.

[Flowersinthewild]

There will be a major problem if schools do not go back full time in September for working parents. 3 months is still a long way off and things are changing daily. Hopefully by September it will be a lot safer for our children to return to school then what it was a month ago.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

It would be wonderful if things were back to normal but it's very unlikely. This isn't just my opinion, it's gleaned from articles written by people who know far better than I do. And from people working in education.

We have to prepare for schooling to be part time. It's very likely that some children will still be shielded - and some staff. Working parents will have to look at contingency plans if, as is likely, education will still be part time. It's months away, so time to plan.

If the government had thought there was any possibility of full time in September they wouldn't have faffed around with what's happening now. This is testing out how part time education will work into the future.

Hoping for the best is good but it's important to plan for what's more likely.

[Flowersinthewild]

It’s ok saying parents have time to plan but what if they have no options. We have no options available. I have had to work the whole time and have not be furloughed I managed to sort child care with a relative and this relative is happy to continue child care until September. Childminders round here are limited and the ones that there are are full and have waiting lists. There is also no wrap around care.

I was able to plan 6 months child care at the drop of a hat, I have 3 months left and have no other options currently and I can’t see that changing unless nanny McPhee suddenly appears

A lot of my childs school friends parents are facing the same problem. So there is definitely going to be a major problem here.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

Yep, no options for me either as a single parent whose job cannot be done from home. Not everyone can WFH, there are loads of jobs that can't.

Anyway, we shall see. A lot can change in 3 months. Look at how different life is now than it was at the end of February.

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

A lot of my childs school friends parents are facing the same problem. So there is definitely going to be a major problem here.

I agree it will be a problem, I wasn't trying to say it wasn't. I wish I had a solution. The virus will still be around in September and just as infectious. We have to keep schools as safe as possible for children and staff.

[TheDailyCarbuncle]

@DomDoesWotHeWants - without school, thousands of children spend all day every day with drug addicted, alcoholic or abusive parents. They have no contact with other adults, no break or respite. Some of them will die, many of them will be permanently damaged after months and months of no support, no relief. Does their safety just not count?

[DomDoesWotHeWants]

Does their safety just not count?

Of course it does. But schools don't have elastic walls and spare teachers on tap. What do you expect them to do?

[TheDailyCarbuncle]

I expect them to accept that the actual threat from covid is very low and that increasing other risks in order to avoid it doesn't make sense.

[Derbygerbil]

A man came up and made as if to go straight in. A couple of people pointed out the queue but he got quite stroppy saying we didn't need to do that any more it was over.

What a twat.... People thinking “it’s all over” will cause the very opposite!

[Derbygerbil]

But we nonetheless need to open up as far as we safely can.... it’s a balance.

[PickAChew]

No. You simply encountered an entitled arse who doesn't believe in waiting his turn.

[pitterpatterrain]

I honestly can’t imagine in 3 months there would be any decent evidence for part time schooling

Agree Daily