How are you planing on protecting your own family?

[1066vegan]

I'm going be going to school on Monday because I'm one of the teachers who is in a position to do so.


We found out last night that a colleague is in hospital (not cv as far as we know) and it has brought the risks home to me. I know that the cleaning regime at school is good and we'll be practicing good hygiene measures but we won't be able to practise social distancing and the children that we are teaching are largely the children of people who are most at risk of contracting the virus.


It's made me wonder if I should be taking steps to reduce the possibility of me passing anything on to my dp and dd. Anyone else worrying about this?

[TK1930]

Yes I’ve thought about this
Straight up to bathroom when I get in, Throw all clothes in wash, shower.
Then see family, hug etc
Coat & shoes to stay separate (porch?)

At school- distance as much as poss. Try not to touch face & wash hands regularly

[1066vegan]

For the last couple of weeks, I've been washing my hands as soon as I get in. Hadn't thought about an immediate shower. Good plan.

DP (who isn't normally a worrier) has started panicking since he heard about the colleague in hospital. He doesn't want me breathing anywhere near him!

[Karwomannghia]

I was thinking the same, go straight for a shower and put clothes straight into wash.

[1066vegan]

No porch for shoes. Last time any of us left shoes outside, one of them was stolen by a fox and later found several gardens away. 😊

[Karwomannghia]

We have that problem! Unearthed random shoes and other booty about 5 years old when pulled out the rotten decking!

[InspectorAlleyn]

I’ve been coming in through our utility room, leaving clothes and shoes in there and straight to the shower. DH is vulnerable though, so I’m more cautious than I might have been if that wasn’t the case (probably just washing hands as soon as I got in). Until the children finished school, I was making them take their uniform off as soon as they got in.
I have a cough today, though, so I’m in my room on my own. I feel fine, but don’t want to risk passing it on to my family or the children I teach. I suppose I now need to stay off school for 7 days. I feel so guilty.

[TK1930]

Try to leave your coat/bag etc in staff room rather than bring to the classroom too!

[PotteringAlong]

I suppose I now need to stay off school for 7 days

No, you and your whole family need to stay inside for 14 days. Don’t feel guilty, that’s the rules.

[SallyLovesCheese]

I'll be showering straight away when I get home, too. Then wipe bathroom down, clothes straight in wash, hand wash then hugs! Shoes will just have to stay by the front door - no porch - but I'll wear the same ones each day so I know which are my "virus shoes"

Shouldn't be so lighthearted, I guess, it's a very real threat. I may have already had it (self-isolating with a cough atm) but DH and DS no symptoms yet so they still need protecting in case I do carry it into the house with me. Being at home just us 3 this week has been ideal.

[SallyLovesCheese]

No, you and your whole family need to stay inside for 14 days.

But only 7 days from symptoms showing. So I started with symptoms on Monday afternoon. I'll be in work on Tuesday morning coming.

[StrawberryJam200]

Yes you’re right but the advice is a bit confusing, if you’re the first infected one, I had to check again!

NHS says:
If you have symptoms

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you'll need to stay at home for 7 days.

After 7 days:

if you do not have a high temperature, you do not need to stay at home
if you still have a high temperature, stay at home until your temperature returns to normal
You do not need to stay at home if you just have a cough after 7 days. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

If you live with someone who has symptoms

If you live with someone who has symptoms, you'll need to stay at home for 14 days from the day their symptoms started. This is because it can take 14 days for symptoms to appear.

If more than 1 person at home has symptoms, stay at home for 14 days from the day the first person started having symptoms.

If you get symptoms, stay at home for 7 days from when your symptoms start, even if it means you're at home for longer than 14 days.

If you do not get symptoms, you can stop staying at home after 14 days.

[1066vegan]

Good point about leaving coat and bag in the staffroom. I might take a coat to leave in school for playground duty or outside PE.

[rosegoldwatcher]

Leave your coat, shoes and bag in the locked boot of your car?

[1066vegan]

I don't have a car. Will be walking to school (sometime use the bus but have decided to stop unnecessary use of public transport - although the buses were very quiet last week so everybody could spread themselves out).

[1066vegan]

I wish you could go back and edit posts.


I can't leave anything in the boot myself because I don't have a car, but that sounds a really good idea for anyone who is a driver.

[1066vegan]

A colleague posted this on our school WhatsApp group.


This is a message from an NHS anaesthetist.

Just a bit of advice for you teacher hero’s that you may want to pass on to your friends/colleagues/staff.

Latest evidence is you are less likely to catch virus from a child coughing but more from things they touch. They are likely to be entirely asymptomatic. So unfortunately virus likely to be all over surfaces. It can also live on skin/hair/clothes. Those with long hair - Tie it up. Think about taking off engagement rings/other jewellery.

This is what we do to decontaminate.

If you are doing a shift at school, as soon as you get in, have a black bin liner ready just inside front door or back door and ensure your washing machine door is open. People can help you get this ready but should stay away during procedure.

Take off your clothes 😳🥴and place them all inside bin liner. Take bin liner straight to washing machine. Scrunch clothes into a ball. Do not touch ANY part of washing machine. Door should already be open. Carefully place clothes inside washing machine making sure you do not touch sides.

Go straight to shower. Do not touch door handles and if you have to, ensure they are wiped down after. Wash your body and HAIR thoroughly with soap/shampoo/shower gel.

You should now be virus free. You can go and shut washing machine and put it on.

Cell membranes of this virus are weak so all it takes is soap and water to kill it.

[SansaSnark]

@1066vegan We have also been sent that message- I am going to try and follow it as far as possible whilst living in a flat with a shared entrance.

I'll also be warning my neighbours when I am going into school.

I think leaving things that are not easily washed (e.g. coats) in school may be a good idea.

[1066vegan]

@Sansasnark I've decided to not quite go as far as the bin bag and clothes straight into the washing machine.

DP has moved into the spare room because he's worried about catching something from me and passing it onto his mum (she's quite frail so he has to take the shopping into the house when he shops for her) which means that our bedroom is a safe space for my stuff.


I come home, wash my hands straight away without touching any surfaces, hang my coat at the end of the bed rather than in the hall with the other coats and then have a shower. I don't go into the lounge or kitchen if I'm wearing clothes that I have worn into school.


Dp and I spend the evening relaxing in the same room together but on separate settees to keep a bit of distance between us.


It seems really over the top when you write it down but the children still in school are the ones most at risk of picking up the virus so better safe than sorry.

[MeanzBeanz]

@1066vegan @SansaSnark

Please don't repost that message from "an NHS anaesthetist" it is fake and not official advice.

Fair enough of you want to do it, but whoever first posted it should not be sharing it as if it is advice from the medical profession.