Will schools opening further reduce household socialising compliance?

[MoreW1ne]

Whist many are strictly following the current guidelines there are lots who are now socialising freely both in and out of the home with little/no distancing across many households.

With schools opening and the obvious impossibility for social distancing between students and staff do you think a lot of people will give up on the rules completely?

I see two routes...either it's fine for no distancing in schools so why should we restrict ourselves outside? Or it's impossible in schools so we should restrict ourselves more for their protection?

Just wondered what everyone thought of this and what you'll do.

[OverTheRainbow88]

We are seeing friends outside and will continue so outside. The only people I see inside are my mum and dad. Not sure what I’ll do when I’m back teaching in school and seeing my parents inside.

[MaryBerrysBomberJacket]

We have already seen plenty of posters commenting that the kids are mixing at school, so they can outside, having sleepovers with multiple kids etc so I expect compliance to significantly reduce. Even when argued that to keep schools open we need to be extra careful outside of school people seem to thinknwhat they are entitled to live their normal life because the risk to them is so small.

If you had seen the effects it can have on a family who were previously fit and healthy (death and now organ damage to those that survived) you too would want every mitigation in place. Which means reducing community transmission as much as possible. People won't do it though, sadly.

[NothingIsWrong]

Given that a lot of wraparound is not reopening I think you will get people doing it out of necessity to try and keep their jobs.

[yawnsvillex]

Exactly @NothingIsWrong .....

[DominaShantotto]

@NothingIsWrong

Given that a lot of wraparound is not reopening I think you will get people doing it out of necessity to try and keep their jobs.

Yep. I’m now in a situation where this looks like a distinct possibility that I’m going to have to do this and use a rotation of school parent friends for school pick up.

Not what I had planned, but since the school have given us a week’s notice of the previously announced as open wraparound care not being open- what choice do I have if all other local childminders etc are full?

[Christmas1935]

Yes.

If you are in year group bubbles there is no reason not to socialise with those parents.

People will get lax.

[SexTrainGlue]

I think once cases start rising, people will start saying 'they should have done more'!

It's pretty clear that community socialising is going to need to be firmly helped down to the level allowed in your area (which means sharply reduced in hotspots).

If people are just going to ignore that, because they don't see schools as different/important enough to have separate rules that simply do not apply on other scenarios, then we increase the risk of second wave considerably.

And that will be on top of flu season. So even with low rates of flu, NHS reaches alarmingly close to full capacity. Assuming people are giving up on the main tool we have for transmissions control - social distancing/limiting contacts - then there's no reason to think flu will be much different from typical levels. With Covid on top of that, then NHS will be really stretched, and the prospect of tacking the backlog recedes further.

[kittensarecute]

I think the government will give it a few weeks to see how it goes with schools, then begin to relax social distancing measures.

[Uhoh2020]

As far as going into others houses I only go into my DMs and her (and DF) into mine. I have met up in a friend's garden and at a pub with same friend. Im a bit anti social so this level of interaction quite suits me. I haven't stopped my DC going out with friends or restricted how many they can see though, we've been lucky with the weather because its always been outside they have met up no indoor parties or sleepovers so far

[PotteringAlong]

I assume that if it’s safe for me to teach 180 different pupils a day, most of whom at 15/16 are the size of adults, in a tiny portacabin with no masks on then it’s safe for me to do pretty much everything as normal.
Or I carry on with social distancing and assume work isn’t safe. Which is not really the way I want to start the new term.

I will wait and see how it pans out. I suspect that me and my DC will be so thrown by the new term starting we will just want to lie down in a darkened room at the weekend anyway so it won’t be an issue for a few weeks

[frasersmummy]

Nicola sturgeon has given the police powers to break up illegal indoor gatherings in Scotland🙄👮‍♀️

We are not allowed common sense up here

[notevenat20]

I see two routes...either it's fine for no distancing in schools so why should we restrict ourselves outside? Or it's impossible in schools so we should restrict ourselves more for their protection?

I see it a little differently. Every new close interaction, particularly between adults, carries an additional risk of spreading infection. We want to keep the average number of people an infected person infects below 1. So the country effectively has a budget for the number of new interactions (per day, say) it can afford per person.

When the schools open, that leaves less in the budget for the rest of us. That means we should have fewer close interactions than we would have had otherwise.

In essence, adults will have to be more restricted in their behaviour to allow children to go to school.

[NothingIsWrong]

@yawnsvillex @DominaShantotto

I'm one of the lucky ones in that wraparound has reopened, but I would 100% have to rely on help from friends if it didn't.

[Kittywampus]

Our school has shorter days, staggered start and finish times for children in different years, and no after school clubs. Most families have two working parents. I think that pretty much guarantees that there will be a lot of unofficial childcare swaps going on. These will mostly be within bubbles though.

I'm planning to keep up social distancing with other adults, and hold playdates outdoors when possible.

[NailsNeedDoing]

Yes, I think that’s exactly what will happen. We saw it with the classes that came back before the school holidays, children were constantly telling us about play dates they were having with each other out of school. I can see why the parents did it tbh, what’s the point of not allowing their children to play with each other at home when it had been deemed acceptable at school?

As an adult in school, I won’t be restricting myself from social things, I just make sure that anyone who I’d be mixing with knows that I’ve been in school in case that’s a problem for them, but it hasn’t been for anyone so far. I don’t get paid enough to restrict my life for my job.

[frozendaisy]

We will see a few families that the kids will mix with in school but not loads and loads at first.

In our school's case if child has a temperature, and almost all illness gives a temperature, they will be sent home and school need a negative test before they can go back. Which might be the following day or take a couple of days etc.

If you want your child in school you need to try and keep them symptom-free, so yeah we will try to keep our contacts subdued this winter.

[Derbygerbil]

It will depend on how infections go. If they remain relatively low, people will get more lax. If schools opening and nights drawing in cause a big spike, then I imagine people will be more careful.

[Derbygerbil]

• Nicola sturgeon has given the police powers to break up illegal indoor gatherings in Scotland🙄👮‍♀️ We are not allowed common sense up here.
  
  If you’re having a large indoor gathering than that implies you don’t have common sense!

[TingTastic]

@notevenat20

I see two routes...either it's fine for no distancing in schools so why should we restrict ourselves outside? Or it's impossible in schools so we should restrict ourselves more for their protection?

I see it a little differently. Every new close interaction, particularly between adults, carries an additional risk of spreading infection. We want to keep the average number of people an infected person infects below 1. So the country effectively has a budget for the number of new interactions (per day, say) it can afford per person.

When the schools open, that leaves less in the budget for the rest of us. That means we should have fewer close interactions than we would have had otherwise.

In essence, adults will have to be more restricted in their behaviour to allow children to go to school.

Really good way of explaining it @notevenat20. I’m increasingly worried about the adults who can’t seem to get this

[NailsNeedDoing]

I’m sure most adults do get it, but either disagree that it’s necessary or have their own valid reasons for wanting to continue with life after months of lockdown. Not everyone considers other people’s children going to school as a top priority in their lives, understandably.

[IncidentsandAccidents]

We'll be minimising socialising when schools open. Dd1 will see her best friend out of school and go to cubs outdoors sessions. Dd2 will be starting reception and I think that will be enough stimulation for her. I'm happy to just see my mum for a while and maybe go for the odd walk with a friend. Schools are the top priority for me so I'm happy to put other things on hold to give them the best chance. I hope that schools will be last to close and first to open in any local lockdowns.

[Qasd]

I think a bit less likely due to lack of time. When kids are out of school they have had the opportunity to socialise particularly as many have had nothing or very little to do to fill there time (activities, holidays etc all cancelled). Once at school then teenagers at least will be at school yes mixing there but not hanging at the park or their friends house etc. I think things like the house party that spread covid amongst teenagers in Scotland will become less common when back to school with home work, possible re starting of extra curricular etc. We have kept the guidance but arranged more play dates than normal since allowed as I am trying to fill the social void loosing school created I will not feel the need when they are back.

[Uhoh2020]

Does anyone else socialise less anyway in the colder months or is that just me and my anti social tendencies?

[OverTheRainbow88]

This on the BBC gave me a reality check:

A "strikingly low" 1% of these 651 children and young people - six in total - had died in hospital with Covid-19 compared with 27% across all other age groups, the study found.
Eighteen per cent of the children needed intensive care.
And the six who had died had had "profound" underlying health conditions that had often been complex and themselves life-limiting.
Children with such conditions remained vulnerable to the virus and must take precautions, the researchers said.

[Sockwomble]

Ds was in school throughout lockdown and we have kept to the rules regarding social distance and haven't socialised with anyone. He being able to go to school comes first for us and we also don't want any none essential contact that could lead to 14 days self isolating which he would struggle to cope with.