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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Should kids wear facemasks in school to reduce second wave and more school closures?

420 replies

947EliseChalotte · 14/07/2020 10:45

Should kids wear masks in school in September when there are 30 in a class to reduce chances of second wave and avoid school shut down again?

OP posts:
Vcw1 · 16/07/2020 06:52

Numerous international studies show children aren’t at risk of cv19 and don’t spread it. Masks however would have a massive impact on their ability to hear the teacher and each other, be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to wear. I strongly oppose mask wearing by children

walksen · 16/07/2020 06:59

Vcw it has been well established that younger people are less likely to be seriously affected and it may even be be true that younger kids don't transmit the disease but I'd be interested where you found these definitive studies that they don't transmit it but 47 % of cases in Israel are attributable to schools and last week there were more outbreaks in schools in the UK than anywhere else, evidence of which has been posted to the thread. As p999 says where's your evidence?

Sleepyblueocean · 16/07/2020 07:04

Not at primary age. At secondary it should be not mandatory but allowed provided the student is using it appropriately and not to cause a problem. Staff should be allowed visors or clear masks.

tigger1001 · 16/07/2020 07:11

I'm in Scotland and under 12's don't need to social distance, so would struggle to see in the light of that why face coverings would be required.

It's a big ask to expect a child to wear a face covering for 6 hours per day. Many adults struggle with that.

Teachers should absolutely be able to wear a face mask/visor if they want to. Know our primary school had a delivery of ppe at the start of June from the local authority.

Flinstones · 16/07/2020 07:24

Absolutely not!

Cambridgechick · 16/07/2020 07:34

Two important points that a large number of people seem to be missing/ignoring here:

  1. Average age of death with coronavirus is over 80
  2. Growing body of evidence suggests that children are not vectors of the disease. More details here: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200710100934.htm

Finally, if you want a balanced view on the risks of coronavirus I recommend the Twitter feed of Prof David Spiegelhalter: mobile.twitter.com/d_spiegel?lang=en

walksen · 16/07/2020 07:44

Averages will reflect the weighting of mortality of the disease of course it is skewed to older ages but there's lots of people under 80 who have died from this disease or who have suffered long term effects and there even a thread on this site for people who have suffered effects for months ; this doesn't change the fact that anyone at school should be entitled to the same protection or precautions as the rest of the country.

It does seem like children are less likely to transmit the disease but that is not the same as not transmitting at all.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 16/07/2020 07:49

Jesus some of the comments on here! Who’s behind these? BBC?

Your child is far more likely to get hit by a car, drown or get abducted on the way to school than catch this virus. Similar chances of passing it into to adults. It is very worrying that some are advocating masks. I don’t give a shiny shit what other countries do. Making kids wear masks is horrific and will be pushed back against. WHO and the UK govt have said they are not necessary in school.

I’m not a 5G conspiracy theorist but I’m starting to think the MSM has some background agenda right now. I’ve been on MN for over 12 years and I’ve never been as WTAF about some threads as I have recently. Master class in brainwashing.

MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 16/07/2020 07:58

None of you actually read the evidence? Several European countries reopened schools and no significant spikes in transmission. The Netherlands have reopened with no sd at all for all children up to age 17. Teachers do sd. No increase in virus transmission. Belgium similar. Sweden never closed schools.

Already there have been child suicides due to lockdown. Many children’s mental health suffering badly. Kids haven’t been sd for weeks and yet virus rates continue to fall. It’s common sense. Stop being hysterical.

UmbrellaHat · 16/07/2020 08:00

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully
Totally agree with you! On every level it is bonkers for masks to be worn in schools.
Even if it were ethically acceptable to muzzle children, which it isn't, the learning would be impaired both by the inability of the children to hear the teacher and be heard, but the sheer practicality. Teachers complain about low level disruption-just magnify that many tines over by the opportunities provided by masks, as others have said. Policing the behaviour would be impossible and impede learning.
Then you have the hygiene factor of discarded masks and pranks.
Utterly ridiculous suggestion.
Tell a generator of young people that human interaction is dangerous and that you are dead if you stand less that 2m away from someone without a mask on -how is that going to skew their mental health-even those who are normally resilient and succumbing to the hysteria of the 'Killer Mutant Virus'.
If school staff feel unable to do do their jobs then they should look for alternative employment somewhere where masks are compulsory /Tesco?
I do not want my children taught by people who are propagating fear and anxiety. The adults around them should be just that, not terrified of something as unlikely to kill a child as being gored by a unicorn.

labyrinthloafer · 16/07/2020 08:06

'muzzle' Hmm

We should be able to discuss this sensibly.

MrsHerculePoirot · 16/07/2020 08:24

@Vcw1

Numerous international studies show children aren’t at risk of cv19 and don’t spread it. Masks however would have a massive impact on their ability to hear the teacher and each other, be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous to wear. I strongly oppose mask wearing by children
Please could you show me one for children aged 14-17? You’ve said numerous but just one would be great.... I can’t find a single one that says that anywhere!
slipperywhensparticus · 16/07/2020 08:31

Maybe it will make vulnerable staff feel safe

Its a mask its not hurting anyone just don't use if for PE

Sttmama72 · 16/07/2020 08:35

Absolutely not. We need to stop teaching kids to be fearful of others and their environment. This virus poses no more risk of death than the flu and we didn't have all this before. It's getting ridiculous now

labyrinthloafer · 16/07/2020 08:55

Hmm it absolutely poses more risk than the flu.

We just go round in circles!

SauceForTheGander · 16/07/2020 09:01

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully

None of you actually read the evidence? Several European countries reopened schools and no significant spikes in transmission. The Netherlands have reopened with no sd at all for all children up to age 17. Teachers do sd. No increase in virus transmission. Belgium similar. Sweden never closed schools.

Already there have been child suicides due to lockdown. Many children’s mental health suffering badly. Kids haven’t been sd for weeks and yet virus rates continue to fall. It’s common sense. Stop being hysterical.

Totally agree with this and your other post.above it ^^..

So many threads on Mumsnet are clearly being started because someone in a closed Facebook group has decided they want to use the website to get traction for THEIR issue - and then try and skew the vote to suit them.

wonderfullife123 · 16/07/2020 09:01

@slipperywhensparticus where is your evidence that wearing a mask for 6 hours a day will have no negative outcomes?.How will it affect communication, socialisation and learning? How will it affect mental health? It isn't enough to say other countries have done it. So what. Remember these countries have opened earlier in the pandemic lifecycle and many are now relaxing social distancing measures for kids not increasing their severity.
You would need a full impact assessment and full consideration of all the hazards this measure could create before you even consider this. It is a mass non pharmaceutical intervention you are proposing for children who are already vulnerable .

user1468867871 · 16/07/2020 09:23

Masks on children are very very dangerous
www.bitchute.com/video/7BcCPSfcLkwl/

ineedaholidaynow · 16/07/2020 09:26

I have seen pictures of Dutch secondary schools with plastic screens between desks.

And in Sweden they appear to have used the class bubble and blended learning approach.

So not school as normal

S0usC4ef · 16/07/2020 09:37

Absolutely not. Kids are the least likely to get covid. It is a crazy idea and it has been proven that they are not even effective. Plus, can you imagine how long the teacher will spend telling kids to out them back in? Ridiculous idea.

Foxette46 · 16/07/2020 09:45

From personal experience, adults get it kids don't. My best friend had it for weeks and was pretty bad, single Mum, so her 3 kids (from 17-12) had to lockdown with her - none of them showed any symptoms at all. Her eldest was randomly chosen for testing recently and result was negative.

Get them all back, un-masked, un-zoned or whatever unnecessary measures your local secondary to adopting, and get on with it without all the anxiety. The figures for suicide for under 19s during Covid are far exceeding Covid deaths..... this should be of far greater concern. No one is looking at the life long impact on mental wellbeing on our kids. This should be prioritised.

news.yahoo.com/german-study-finds-no-evidence-164704005.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=tw

Schools do not play a major role in spreading the coronavirus, according to the results of a German study released on Monday. The study, the largest carried out on schoolchildren and teachers in Germany, found traces of the virus in fewer than 1 per cent of teachers and children.

Prof Reinhard Berner, the head of pediatric medicine at Dresden University Hospital and leader of the study, said the results suggested the virus does not spread easily in schools.

“It is rather the opposite,” Prof Berner told a press conference. “Children act more as a brake on infection. Not every infection that reaches them is passed on.”

The study tested 2,045 children and teachers at 13 schools — including some where there have been cases of the virus. But scientists found antibodies in just 12 of those who took part.

“This means that the degree of immunization in the group of study participants is well below 1 per cent and much lower then we expected,” said Prof Berner. “This suggests schools have not developed into hotspots.”

The choice of Saxony is significant becauseit was the only one of Germany’s 16 states to reopen schools with full class sizes in May.

The decision was highly controversial at the time. Parents won the right to keep their children at home after a legal challenge, and the regional government ordered the study to determine whether the policy had been right.

The findings are likely to be the subject of much public debate in Germany, with full class sizes planned to resume at schools across the country after the summer holidays.

The study tested the blood of around 1,500 children aged between 14 and 18 and 500 teachers aged between 30 and 66 for antibodies to the virus.

Five of those who took part had previously tested positive for the virus. The study’s authors said the fact that only seven others were found to have antibodies suggested the virus did not spread rapidly in a school setting.

Another 24 of those who took party had family members who had tested positive, but only one of these was found to have developed antibodies.

“This means the majority of schoolchildren do not get infected themselves despite an infection in the household,” said Prof Berner.

“We have to take this finding into account when deciding on measures to limit social contact.”

The study was carried out at 13 schools in the districts of Dresden, Bautzen and Görlitz in May and June.

martine66 · 16/07/2020 09:47

Absolutely not. I will not be sending my child into school if that happens. We need to get back to the old normal. Wake up sheeple! We are slowly being controlled by fear.

DominaShantotto · 16/07/2020 09:59

My kids will not be attending any school which tries to implement this. One child has suspected ASD and the other has communication needs and sensory difficulties - she will rip her skin to shreds at the feeling of the mask on her face. Both have a history of breathing related issues.

I will fight tooth and nail against any lunatic group who tries to force this on our kids. They have been through enough and they need their childhoods back - or we are breeding one hell of a mentally fucked up generation of adults - that will be the ones picking our nursing homes in old age!

Dowser · 16/07/2020 10:04

Can you share this

There’s a citizen’s peaceful gathering at 1pm on this Sunday the 19 in Trafalgar Square with speakers against what has happened to children re education , abuse cases that have risen, the elderly dying alone, children domestic abuse, redundancies, mandatory mask wearing etc

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