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Original poster

Are there likely to be blanket school closures?

90 replies

asblindasabat · 06/12/2022 17:32

A person I work with today said that she wouldn’t be surprised if the government made the decision to close all schools in the UK because of the Strep A outbreak.

Are we really at that point? When they closed in March 2020 they were closed for months so I really hope not!

OP posts:
Original poster
asblindasabat · 06/12/2022 20:07

Thanks everyone for the replies.. I didn’t know whether to take her seriously or not as she said she would be preparing her DC for another round of several months of remote learning.. I guess she is just being overcautious or enjoys the hype!

OP posts:
IClaudine · 06/12/2022 20:07

Oooooh. Just clocked the user name!

IClaudine · 06/12/2022 20:08

IClaudine · 06/12/2022 20:07

Oooooh. Just clocked the user name!

Sorry, don't mean OP but another poster...

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General education
Idratherbepaddleboarding · 06/12/2022 20:08

The majority of people who catch covid are absolutely fine too but that didn’t stop them…

BlackFriday · 06/12/2022 20:10

toomuchlaundry · 06/12/2022 19:31

Just wait for the teacher strikes!

Yes, this!
Buckle up, people.

Footballmyarse · 06/12/2022 20:28

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Oh, hello again!

Footballmyarse · 06/12/2022 20:28

IClaudine · 06/12/2022 20:08

Sorry, don't mean OP but another poster...

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Yup, they are back!

caringcarer · 06/12/2022 20:54

If there were more than 1 case in a specific school it might shut for a week/deep clean.

Kabalagala · 06/12/2022 20:56

They need to be sorting out access to gps and antibiotics not closing schools. Our children have missed out on enough.
There's 2 cases in my son's school, one in his class, so we're on high alert. But we can't keep trying to hide from illness, I imagine that's largely why we're in the situation in the first place.

Original poster
asblindasabat · 06/12/2022 23:18

Kabalagala · 06/12/2022 20:56

They need to be sorting out access to gps and antibiotics not closing schools. Our children have missed out on enough.
There's 2 cases in my son's school, one in his class, so we're on high alert. But we can't keep trying to hide from illness, I imagine that's largely why we're in the situation in the first place.

I agree!

OP posts:
SeenAndNot · 06/12/2022 23:22

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Novel virus with no known treatment vs centuries old virus with known treatment. It’s not the same.

babybythesea · 06/12/2022 23:26

We’ve got seven children in our school who have either got it or have had it and are now back at school. We’re a small school - that works out at almost 10% of our pupils. We haven’t even discussed closing. We’ve been in contact with the relevant authorities and are following the advice. No new cases in the last week. Hopefully that’s it for us now. But no mention of closing.

ACynicalDad · 06/12/2022 23:28

No, the closures for COVID did untold damage to the most vulnerable kids, they will do everything they can to avoid closing them again. I guess the odd school if they have a big outbreak but that's it.

gogohmm · 06/12/2022 23:28

Do you realise this isn't a new disease? My mum reminded me today a girl in my school died of it (40 years ago). Gps are being told to be freer with antibiotics that's all that is needed

MrsSkylerWhite · 06/12/2022 23:28

Unlikely. The 9 deaths are horrible, of course they are, but closing schools after children have already had so much disruption would be an over-reaction. Cases would have to increase significantly before this would be considered.

WinterLobelia · 06/12/2022 23:31

We have had an e-mail this afternoon as have a number of known confirmed scarlet fever cases in our school. Dcs have been saying for 2 weeks now that their classes are completely denuded and 'something is going around'.

I admit to being jumpy because of covid - a child who recently had chicken pox- and because I have a DC with serious immune deficiencies. But I am heartened by the fact that this is not a new and unknown infection and because the word is now out there about what to do. Every news item talks about it and says 'antibiotics'.

For something else today I was re-reading some of my early e-mails during the beginning of the covid crisis and I had forgotten the sense of surreal fear and dread - until the vaccines started up. Praise the Lord at least with Strep A everyone health-care related essentially knows what is what and what to do.

WinterLobelia · 06/12/2022 23:33

But also, can we pleae not be dismissive of 9 deaths? This is dreadful for the families and the narrative of 'only 9 so let;s crack on' is probably hurtful.

NAndJAgainstStrepA · 06/12/2022 23:35

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maddy68 · 06/12/2022 23:36

Don't be silly

PriamFarrl · 06/12/2022 23:38

Dreamsoffreedomjoyandpeace · 06/12/2022 18:41

My mum was talking about Strep A today, not realising it’s Scarlet Fever. Then she said then when she was about three, she and my uncle were put in a sanitorium and she remembers being in a cot and feeling like she was in a cage.

Apparently the staff threw an orange and an apple on the ends of the beds but she didn’t get one because she was in a cot. She said she was so sad because she desperately wanted an orange😔. My uncle screamed the whole way there and obviously they weren’t allowed visitors. This must have been during the war.

I remember at school in the 70s a teacher telling us about how she had scarlet fever and that everything she had was burned. All her clothes, books, toys, everything.
I got scarlet fever a few weeks later and was terrified.

PriamFarrl · 06/12/2022 23:40

The huge difference with this to covid is that it is a known disease. Moreover it is treatable. So long as HCP and parents know what to look for then there is no need to worry.

MrsSkylerWhite · 06/12/2022 23:42

WinterLobelia · Today 23:33
But also, can we pleae not be dismissive of 9 deaths? This is dreadful for the families and the narrative of 'only 9 so let;s crack on' is probably hurtful.“

Of course. I don’t know how many young children die of ‘flu in an average year, though?

KenAdams · 06/12/2022 23:48

asblindasabat · 06/12/2022 20:07

Thanks everyone for the replies.. I didn’t know whether to take her seriously or not as she said she would be preparing her DC for another round of several months of remote learning.. I guess she is just being overcautious or enjoys the hype!

You knew she was scaremongering but you decided to post on MN anyway to do the same to others. Some people on here are really worried about this, stop trying to make it worse.

Dinoteeth · 06/12/2022 23:51

When I was in secondary their was an out break of meningitis which hospitalised 4 or 5 kids and killed a teacher about a week / 10days before Christmas
They closed the school and issued everyone with antibiotics.

I imagine they'll do the same, individual schools closing rather than a blanket closure of schools.

Millana · 07/12/2022 00:06

They won't close schools but the proposal to just give out antibiotics to huge cohorts "just in case" is concerning.