To be terrified about the schools being back (Scotland)

[Kaylasmum53]

Our schools went back last week, my daughter is in S6 and my dd is in S2 although due to severe school anxiety and possible ASD he only attends school an hour a day with myself and a support teacher present.

The last two days when I have dropped my dd off I have been shocked to see the large groups of children congregating in the school grounds, absolutely no social distancing at all. There has been new coronavirus cases in my town at 2 schools and I am really starting to worry. I have severe health anxiety and have been struggling massively with all of this, I even took unpaid leave from my work for three months as I am so scared of my family catching the virus. I am overweight and prone to chest infections and feel that if I catch it I would become very ill.

OP, can you look up what the rate of new cases are in your area? I felt a bit worried about my son going to nursery then did some research and found out that there were 1.1 new cases per 100,000 people in my area the week before last and 0.0 new cases per 100,000 last week.

I’m obviously not an expert at all but I found those figures reassuring. Suddenly 20 children in a nursery didn’t seem so worrying.

You can also look up SAGE’s paper on schools returning which is also quite reassuring I think.

You have my sympathies. Health anxiety is really hard.

I really hope the message that this won’t spread in schools is correct, but when you have health officials making statements about teenagers contracting the virus at house parties where there are large groups not socially distancing and then you look at our corridors, I cannot see what the difference is

The problem with parties is the opportunity to exchange saliva and other bodily fluids. I’m assuming that makes it easier to spread covid than being in school.

House parties and families going on holiday to hot spots and not self isolating are the biggest risks to schools. If we all play our part our kids and those around them will be okay.

Its almost like they want a great apocalyptic pandemic & Covid isn't exciting enough.

I find this common attack line very frustrating, it is intended to shut people down imo. Anyone who is at all concerned gets accused of 'wanting' the pandemic.

I don't want a pandemic at all. But I am worried that opening schools with no SD is a risk.

OP I'm so sorry for you. to reinforce what previous people have said the risk of anything terrible happening to you is tiny and it sounds like you're really doing the best by your kids by trying to give them some normality.

However...

The situation in my school and many colleagues' schools is shocking.

Half arsed attempts at protection and half arsed attempts at education.

You cannot teach a child if you can't get near them to look at their work and engage with them.

They need to admit we are there for childcare alone. I fear for children sitting exams next year.

If you saw the children where I am in Scotland you could be worried. At lunchtime they were in very close groups finding lunch in local environments.
And this was just not one school!

But personally I wouldn’t be worried as children are pretty resilient to the Covid virus.

@Monkeynuts18 where about do you find this information on the area you live in and infection rates, I would be interested to look up my local area.

February & for most of March, when we now know the virus was busily spreading throughout the population

The figures for Feb/March were low. They weren’t out and about Apr-July when it was really widespread. They are showing up now because they are out in the community. And the numbers are not insignificant. But it has nothing to do with testing or not, kids are getting it.

Perhaps you can explain with your statistics why it’s ok for an 18 year old student not to have to socially distance but the 19 year old probationer teacher does have to?

There were hardly any tests in February and March. You only got tested if in hospital then. Children would not have been tested so it’s false to say it’d show up in the stats if they had it then.