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

[947EliseChalotte]

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?

Masks should be worn anywhere you can't socially distance and where contact is longer than 15 minutes. As we know, schools are concentrated areas of large groups of people so covid will be more likely to spread in schools than in shops based on the factors above. And, of course, what children, asymptomatically or symptomatically carry, they will bring home with them.
In shops, you have less chance of picking up covid because you aren't there as long, there will be fewer numbers of people in the shop, and a person may be able to maintain social distance (depending on the shop.)
Mask wearing in as many environments as possible is not foolproof but it is better than nothing.

It would be a no from me. I totally get your point. My son has asd. If he was to wear a mask he would be constantly touching it, re-positioning it, trying to take it off therefore touching his face and risking catching the virus. Defeating the whole purpose.

I think there would be parents keeping children off school if it were the case.

But would pupils with asd and other reasons for not wearing them not be exempt just as they would be for wearing masks in shops - I guess

It would be a no from me. I totally get your point. My son has asd. If he was to wear a mask he would be constantly touching it, re-positioning it, trying to take it off therefore touching his face and risking catching the virus. Defeating the whole purpose.

^^All kids would--that's why mask-wearing needs to be done in conjunction with handwashing, gelling, wiping things down. And just to add, the mask isn't to protect the wearer (unless it's the medical grade mask), it is to protect others from the mask-wearers droplets from speaking, coughing etc. That's why as many people as possible need to wear them-you protect me and I protect you, kind of thing.

Our schools said they will not put 30 kids in a class in September they are looking at kids being in just 2 days a week so they can fit the whole school in on different days. Glad they've prepared us tbh or may have been a shock with sorting childcare. Basically they said prepare for this and if we can take them more sats we will. And this is a secondary school (high school)

They seem to be able to manage it in China.

Days not sats

ToBBQornottoBBQ I'm assuming you're not in England?

Definitely not for my eldest DD going into year 2 who is autistic and has sensory processing issues.
I don't agree with them for primary school children anyway.

All kids would--that's why mask-wearing needs to be done in conjunction with handwashing, gelling, wiping things down. And just to add, the mask isn't to protect the wearer (unless it's the medical grade mask), it is to protect others from the mask-wearers droplets from speaking, coughing etc. That's why as many people as possible need to wear them-you protect me and I protect you, kind of thing.

How on earth is that practical, manageable or proportionate.

Yes

They should in secondary, possible upper KS2.

I teach in EYFS and it wouldn’t be possible for the children here and social distancing isn’t either. But younger children as a whole are more protected if in society everyone who can wear a mask does. Keeps community transmission lower, which benefits everyone.

I also have a child who couldn’t wear a mask due to a rare respiratory condition. The same condition makes him prone to covid. People in society wearing masks protects him.

THIS should give everyone a little more clarity on the issue.

100% no

should they... well, I reckon the face covers aren't that effective but the powers that be will want to try them, anyway, and everyone will end up trying things that will be shown to not be that effective.

If they're deemed necessary in shops they should be deemed necessary in schools (exemptions excepted).

I love sooty the point is it’s different nipping time the shops in one than sitting for 6 hours in one. I wear them in my clinical role. Take it off the second the patient walks out of the door. They are so stifleing.

Yes.

I’d need to know the statistical likelihood of reducing cases , before I answer , I genuinely don’t know

No way.

My family and I have followed the rules to a 't'. We have also 'kept calm and carried on', we are still socially distancing. We have WFH and educated our children to the best of our ability. I accept that masks can be useful and will wear them when in enclosed public spaces.

But not my children. It's very difficult to breathe wearing a mask. I say this as someone who really isn't fussy and hyper sensitive about stuff. I wore one to the shops today and it was such an unpleasant experience.

I know that I will reduce shopping in stores even further when the mask rule comes in. But I'm a grown woman and can manage the unpleasantness of, no way will my primary school children wear masks for 6 hours a day. I'd rather consider moving countries. Luckily we have second EU citizenships.

CallmeAngelina That video is very funny and genuinely cheered me up, thank you .

Yes. Those who can should.

My 11yr old often has a screaming meltdown over labels but she has been ok with her masks.

They seem to be able to manage it in China. Fuck me, yes, they might but I don't really want to look to China for some sort of best practice lol.

@SomewhereEast

No, absolutely not. I'm tired of children's well-being being treated as acceptable collateral damage in all this.

And yet you are content for teachers and other school staff to be collateral damage.

I suspect masks will be required come September. School staff and children are every bit as worthy of a safe as possible environment as shop workers.