Would you send your dc back to school in September if there was no social distancing?

[wakeupitsabeautifulmorning]

I worry about how much longer dc are going to be expected to learn at home considering a lot of them aren't. However, if they're going to have to socially distance I can't really see a way forward.
YABU = No I wouldn't send them without social distancing
YANBU = Yes I would

[Bellesavage]

Yes! Even if covid infection rate was sky high.

[lewes2]

Yes, I would actively prefer no social distancing and would like it to start in schools asap

[Ta00bldaylwi9999]

Yes and I would tomorrow too.

[Sailonby]

Definitely yes!

[Glittertwins]

Yes - but they'd be out the door themselves before we could stop them!!

[Whitegrenache]

Absolutely yes

[Pleasenodont]

Depends on the infection rate by September. I think people believe covid has disappeared now for some reason and are keen and eager to return to life as usual. There were 1700 new infections yesterday and still over 200 deaths, it isn’t going anywhere.

Also, I wouldn’t necessarily worry about my primary aged DC catching it but I’m currently 8 months pregnant and I would be afraid of the newborn catching it.

[derxa]

This has become a disgusting political football. Poor children and parents.

[stairway]

I doubt 400,000 people would have died by covid now If schools had remained open. I suspect schools shutting has made little difference. 10 percent of the may have antibodies but is likely many more have already been exposed to this virus and either haven’t made antibodies or just don’t get infected easily.

[moita]

Yes. My 3.5 year old hasn't gone back to pre school (lack of staff so only Key worker's children and vulnerable children allowed back). By September I think the lack of socialisation will have a big impact.

[TrojanWhore]

People are WFH because all workplaces, other than ones where it was essential that key work was carried out in site" were closed.

They would have closed even if schools had remained open

Pre-symptomatic people (including DC) can transmit COVID, and the asymptomatic can too (though less commonly than first thought)

It's nitnabout the safety of DC, but of everyone else

The shielded are already supported to remain at home entirely and indefinitely. That's not an age related group, they're those of any age -including children - who have certain medical conditions. That's the equivalent of over the entire population of NI taken out of society already.

Would all the vulnerable need to go indoors as well? So that even if DC took it home, they wouldn't be making anyone unduly ill. You'd add millions of people to the numbers who couid not be compelled to leave their homes for any reason.

That wouid lead to huge dislocation and further inequalities, and probably wouid prolong economic consequences.

Not least if DC who had a vulnerable household member from whom they could not isolate were included in the 'stay at home' category. Not least because pregnancy is considered a vulnerable time.

And what policy do you propose to put around those who are at greater risk because the disease strikes harder, and in younger people, of the BAME community?

[RunningNinja79]

Yes I'd send them back tomorrow if I could.

[1Morewineplease]

If all children are to go back in September then there will be no social distancing.
If the government deems it safe then you could potentially be accused of unauthorised absence.

Best wait and see.

[Rhubardandcustard]

Yes

[SauvignonGrower]

Yes, in a heartbeat. This virus is risky for the older generation but not for us.

[OverTheRainbowLiesOz]

I believe the risks are very low for children and young people

Other work places are putting in place PPE, social distancing and deep cleaning. Teachers are employees and deserve the same consideration for their safety. It has to be done properly and the employer has a duty of care.

[onefinalquestion]

Yes

[Bluebell1995]

Yes I would

[Aragog]

People are wfh because schools are off.

But that's not true for many. None of the people I know are wfh purely due to child care issues. They're all working from home as there work place is closed.

Dh is wfh because his office is closed. Dd is 18y. It's nothing to do with childcare why he's home. He is allowed in the office for 2-3 hours one afternoon a week to swap files, sort paperwork and mail, etc. He is a solicitor and classes as an essential worker due to the nature of law he specialises in. By the end of the month they hope to be on two days a week and wfh three days. They will be Covid ready by then apparently. They have rearranged office space, dry clean only clothes such as suits aren't allowed, they can't share a kettle and cups and need to take in their own, they have masks and gloves available and if seeing a client they have portable Perspex or glass desk screens to separate them. They will be practising strict social distancing or will be asked to not come into the office.

They're taking it really seriously and dh's work place is not unusual amongst our friends who work in offices.

[Beawillalwaysbetopdog]

@Aragog

It also seems that lots of people can't understand that we didn't hit higher numbers of deaths because we were restricted in what we could do and where we could go. The must have reduced deaths greatly. It has to, by its very nature.

It's impossible to say for sure what deaths would have been without isolation and distancing. Who knows? It could have been huge numbers or it could have been lower than predictions.

It's not that impossible - best estimates are that 10% of people have had covid.

So unchecked about 400,000 deaths. More if it was over a short enough period that the NHS becomes overwhelmed and can't treat other serious illnesses / accidents.

[Aragog]

It also seems that lots of people can't understand that we didn't hit higher numbers of deaths because we were restricted in what we could do and where we could go. The must have reduced deaths greatly. It has to, by its very nature.

It's impossible to say for sure what deaths would have been without isolation and distancing. Who knows? It could have been huge numbers or it could have been lower than predictions.

[GazeboParty]

My sister is in Australia - they started with social distancing in her kid's schools - they lasted a week and gave it up as a bad job.

[Aragog]

Lots of people on this and other threads appear to think it's only the U.K. who closed schools and who have had or having a gradual reopening. It's not. Many many countries did this and some for much longer.

My ex colleague works in China though not Wuhan. Her year 1 and reception classes went back to school this week - some social distancing but no masks - and that was the first time they'd been to school since the end of January.

We are not unusual in closing our schools for most children in the U.K. And we haven't held children out of school for as long as some countries. Infact our children have had more freedom than the children in many countries across the world.

It's not great and we all hope it will come to an end soon, but we are not unusual in this approach and we and our children will come through this.

[everythingthelighttouches]

I would like to.

It all depends on the number of infections and the rate of infection then.

I have no way of knowing what that will be in September.

[BackInTime]

Absolutely as long as infection rates in the community remain low. I believe the risks are very low for children and young people, they are at greater risk of getting hurt or killed in a road accident travelling to or from school yet we do not choose to keep them at home.