Should teachers be extra vigilant to infection in their every day lives to reduce school transmission?

[WhyNotMe40]

As the latest PHE report states that in June there were more staff than students affected by the covid19 coronavirus, there are suggestions that teachers should take measures to reduce bringing the virus into schools.

Voting: do you think teachers should change how they behave out of schools to protect the school?
YABU yes
YANBU no

Also - what activities or behaviours do you think teachers should avoid or do to further this aim?

Every time I think about returning to teaching (after 3 years away) I read more BS like this and it reminds me why I'm best out of it. I feel so sorry for all teachers and school staff at this time. They're sitting ducks for the government.

Everyone is responsible for being sensible and following the rules to stop the spread. Expecting teachers to go into schools with no social distancing, masks, providing their own sanitiser and wipes etc is awful, but to then expect them to curb their out-of-work life as well and social distance above and beyond what is expected of the general public is nonsensical and completely unfair. If, as the government are implying, teachers are vulnerable in schools then the government need to protect them better. If supermarkets, restaurants, coffee shops etc are dangerous for teachers then they are also dangerous for parents and teenagers so everybody should take extra precautions.

I don't think I've ever hated a group of people more than this current government. They are the absolute worst. What a fucking shit show.

Everybody should be being vigilant. Leave teachers alone.

OP isn't having a pop at teachers. The post is intended to be objective.

Look I work in an office with 100 other people. We all need to be vigilant but teachers are always singled out.

Nope. Not unless the 30 students are also going to change their behaviour.

@SayakaMurata

We are being set up to take the blame if there's a spike in infections.

Of course. This toxic concept is already all over Facebook.

@Hopoindown31

We were told to limit our movement outside of schools to try and minimise people going off sick and to try and get hold of hand gel and wipes as our school won’t be supplying it.

Any of this in your school's risk assessment? I'd be particularly interested to know about provisions for hygiene. Throughout this whole lockdown I have been utterly amazed at how uninformed school leaders are about their obligations under the Health and Safety at work act and subordinate regulations.

To be clear, the reality is that in most workplaces, being told that you must pay for your own supplies to maintain sanitary conditions would be completely unacceptable, yet teachers let their managers get away with this shit all the time. I bet you loads that every other professional having to return to their office in September will have handgel provided.

Back in March one supplier to schools was told to send all the hand gel to the nhs

@WhyNotMe40

I've said this already upthread, but it bares repeating. You have to be symptomatic to get tested Children are largely asymptomatic Therefore in schools outbreaks largely affect staff. Johnson said we have a "moral duty" to open schools fully as per normal They have provided no extra funding whatsoever for cleaning or resources or sinks or handgel They announced a payrise that was agreed in January and are not funding that either. PHE now say teachers need to be extra vigilant out of schools. Teachers are being set up as the next scapegoat

But yet recently they tested a whole factory of staff because of positive cases. And found a large percentage that were asymptomatic.

The factory shut for 2 weeks.

@Barbie222

Is the next thing personal liability for teachers who do not "take additional precautions"? Sorry, but if your SLT are saying that you need to take precautions outside school, we need to know where this has come from, what "precautions" mean and how it's all going to be measured.

www.gov.uk/guidance/steps-to-take-following-the-death-of-a-colleague-in-childrens-services

Make of this what you will. Scroll to bottom section.

Itsgettingweird - am I remembering correctly but didn't the company have to supply the additional tests as the NHS would only test the symptomatic?

I couldn't vote either way as my DC's school has asked that everyone (pupils, parents, teachers, and any other staff) follow all of the current guidelines in order to minimise the risk of covid spreading to everyone.

I would think, however, that putting many people at risk by not following the guidelines as laid down by the government should be a disciplinary offence.

You hearing this, Dom?

StationView

I shall be following the example of responsible behaviour set by Dominic Cummings.“

So you are deliberately duplicating the behaviour of a twat?
What will that achieve, for you or anyone else?

But surely that is what people should be doing anyway @Sedona123

@FrippEnos

OPTIMUMMY

As far as I can see they are not even looking for an answer just people to vote for them.

Totally agree with this!

Why do teachers need to be extra careful out of school when we are constantly being reassured that the children don't catch it or spread it? Surely the teachers will be very safe if that is the case since they don't need to worry about spreading it to the children who can't catch it.

@KetoPenguin because we will catch it by behaving irresponsibly out of school and then pass it on to our colleagues (not the children - they are immune and cannot catch Covid or pass it on if they by freak chance do catch it)

Re children not catching or spreading it, yet the news says test kits are being sent to schools to send home with ill children...

@WhyNotMe40

Itsgettingweird - am I remembering correctly but didn't the company have to supply the additional tests as the NHS would only test the symptomatic?

I think you're right. I do remember reading about private testing. Good on that company.

It's a joke anyway.

Teachers must be vigilant - except registering for T and T in a out or restaurant is totally voluntary anyway 🤷‍♀️

@IWantAPetUnicorn yes teachers are one of the most irresponsible groups and it makes sense they will be infecting all their colleagues and causing havoc.

@KetoPenguin it will definitely be my colleagues fault when I catch Covid. Those silly teachers and TAs who are keeping 2m away from me. Not the 30 small children not expected to social distance from each other or from me (and whose parents are organising class meet ups and birthday parties!).

I had an antibody test as two of my colleagues had tested positive for the antibodies after having suffered ‘covid like’ symptoms just as our schools closed. They don’t see each other outside of work so we suspect it was transmitted there in the week before lockdown. Anyway when I was talking to the nurse that did the test he said that in the families he tested (which had positive results for the antibodies) the teenagers and kids were testing positive for them but had never suffered any symptoms - it was their parents that experienced them. I know this is anecdotal so it is limited, but it does lead me to believe that it is likely then only to seem like the teachers have it and are passing it around if they are the ones reporting symptoms.

@LouiseNW

StationView

I shall be following the example of responsible behaviour set by Dominic Cummings.“

So you are deliberately duplicating the behaviour of a twat?
What will that achieve, for you or anyone else?

Quite clearly she is joking Louise. Sit back down,

As a teacher, I’ve been making it my hourly mission to go around rubbing myself on people, dashing over to stand close to those who are coughing and hanging around large crowds, A&E and anti-vaxxers.

@PathOfLeastResitance

As a teacher, I’ve been making it my hourly mission to go around rubbing myself on people, dashing over to stand close to those who are coughing and hanging around large crowds, A&E and anti-vaxxers.

I hope you've been licking door handles too.

Because if you're gonna do a job ........