To not like the covid shaming playground politics.

[Conair]

I appreciate that this is a very stressful, confusing and worrying time for everyone but since my children have gone back to school I have witnessed the following.

Another parent having a go at someone who's child had a minor cold stating he should be tested and not brought into school.

A few parents including one who is a GP putting a message in a class Facebook group stating her child has a snotty nose and a mild cough so is getting her tested ( isolating the family) and others should do the same and keep their kids off with cold symptoms.

I feel that this is going to make some parents very paranoid and could result in a lot of children being off school or getting unnecessarily tested, due to the very nature of being back at school a lot of children have developed colds etc and if we kept them off for every minor symptom there wouldn't be any children ( or staff!) at school.

Am I right in thinking that there is a lot of scaremongering going on or should we all be far
more cautious and keep our children off with every minor symptom.

I’ve spent much of today close to tears on this with frustration and feeling that you can’t do right whatever you do and I’m not normally emotional.

DS1 has a snotty nose last week, no other symptoms. Fine, he went to school. DS2 (4) and I have both got a snotty nose this weekend and DS2 ran a temperature for less than an hour. DH’s school has said (qualified nurse in a medical centre) that this isn’t sufficient to count and this morning both schools agreed (DS2 is right as rain but a bit snotty). This afternoon they’ve sent different guidance out than I was told on the phone this morning which means that DSs do both have to be off. I’ve been trying since Saturday night to get a test. DH (key worker) has been told it’s at least three days before any key worker tests are available and that HIS school’s view hasn’t changed so they expect him in. And DS2 is resolutely symptomless now so wouldn’t qualify for a test.

@PablosHoney why would you take two weeks off for a cold? No one is suggesting you do.

Runny noses can last weeks.

Am I right in thinking that there is a lot of scaremongering going on

How many people said the same in February?

If you are vulnerable please shield

Shielding is currently paused, but even when in action it was for the exceptionally medically vulnerable (not all those classed as vulnerable)

It’s in everyone’s interests to keep transmission as low as possible. Getting fed up of it, just as the winter virus season approaches, cases are rising and cautionary notes are sounding from the medical community, seems that the most spectacular own goal

@NameChange84

I think at the moment it’s wise to keep children off if they have colds. When they inevitably spread it, there WILL be other children who exhibit fevers and coughs as a result of catching the cold and that will mean testing, isolating, long time off work for multiple parents etc. It could be curbed by people keeping their sick kids home.

On another note, I don’t get why people who are full of a cold are going to non essential events like the cinema, places of worship, pub etc knowing they could spread what they have and cause inconvenience and worry for people totally unnecessarily. Seems to be common sense at the moment to stay home when you can whilst sick. Even with a cold.

I sent my DS in to school today with a runny nose and no other symptoms. DH and I are both teachers so have no way of keeping him at home without one of us taking a day off. It’s not that simple for many working parents.

If he develops a temperature or persistent cough I will of course keep him home and get him tested.

@Grrretel

If people kept their sick children at home, they wouldn't be spreading it to everyone in their class meaning all those families needed to take time off.

This is also true.

My DC did three days at school. Got up the next morning ‘not feeling well’ very non-specific but I checked her temperature and it was 38.8.
So I kept her home and tried to order a test.
Took hours of refreshing to order a home kit.
The non-specific symptoms developed into a very obvious cold.
The next day DC had no temperature and just had snotty nose. Still waiting for a test.
Day 3 test comes, we do it and return it. DC is well enough to go back to school but can’t.
Day 4. Test gets to Glasgow.
Day 5, Day 6 hear nothing.
Day 7 get the test result after 4pm. Negative.

This whole time I’ve had to keep all DC at home.
Miss a week of nursery at full fees.
Miss swimming lessons, football, rainbows - all paid for.
A whole weekend stuck at home and a week off school. For a cold that’s clearly been caught off another child at school.

It’s absolute madness.

FFS this is insane. Of course we shouldn't be testing for cold symptoms!! Pretty much everyone in my village has a cold after being back at school for 3 days. We can't all self-isolate and sit around waiting for non-available tests every time someone has a snotty nose. We've all got mild colds in our house, and will be going about our daily business as usual either until they get worse or we develop one of the three actual, official Covid symptoms.

@Theterrible42s

FFS this is insane. Of course we shouldn't be testing for cold symptoms!! Pretty much everyone in my village has a cold after being back at school for 3 days. We can't all self-isolate and sit around waiting for non-available tests every time someone has a snotty nose. We've all got mild colds in our house, and will be going about our daily business as usual either until they get worse or we develop one of the three actual, official Covid symptoms.

This.

Its stupid.

@Conair

My issue with the GP parent was she told us all To keep our children off with ANY cold symptom.

Quite!

Unless the testing system is fixed we’re screwed - and they KNEW this was coming. It wasn’t a surprise!
This!
But I’m also getting really frustrated with everyone who knows better. I’m hearing of GPs saying tests aren’t required, who knew they could diagnose an illness isn’t covid over the phone, quite a skill! Schools who are saying tests aren’t required because symptoms have cleared up on there own or need to get a test for something not on the list.

Testing rules are really clear. If you have a continuous cough, a temperature or loss of taste or smell, you need to isolate and get a test. Never mind what anyone else says. While you are isolating, your whole household stay in with you, You do not pop to the shops, go for a walk, Let your dc play in the street, meet your mate in the garden. You stay at home.

I honestly don’t get what is so complicated.

@Maryann1975 You see, this is what I don't get. You say to get a test you must have one of the symptoms. But the government's own website gives this:
Who can get a test
Anyone with coronavirus symptoms can get a test. Coronavirus symptoms are:
a high temperature
a new, continuous cough
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
You can get a test for someone you live with if they have these symptoms. Do not get tests for people you live with who do not have these symptoms.

There is no either or in this list. It clearly (to me at least) communicates that if you have the collection of symptoms that commonly occur with covid infection, seek testing. Otherwise, simply having a high temperature would merit testing, surely

@AllWashedOut having a temperature on its own does require testing. It says on the NHS site you should be tested if you have any one of the symptoms.

Ds had a new continuous cough,.he was off last week while we got a home test, got the negative on Sunday so he is back in today, still with the remnents of the cough but I emailed the results to the school.

Ps access to testing.with quick results is the only way to keep schools safer and prevanr disruption to employers of parents..

I work in healthcare. It’s never been the case that you need to have all three symptoms to get. It has always been the case that if you have at least one of the main symptoms then you are advised to test.

It’s shambolic that some people still do not realise this 6 months on. I do think the messages and slogans given to the public have been absolutely useless.

get = test

@AllWashedOut
Otherwise, simply having a high temperature would merit testing, surely
It does...I'm on my 100thish time of filling out the fucking form to try and get a test for ds, which anyone should be able to get of they have one of the symptoms.

If I kept my DD off school for having a runny nose she would never go.

Unfortunately the early government advice saying how it was different from a cold is just rubbish. For many of us who have had confirmed cases, it started just like a cold.

So yes, you should keep your child off if they have a temperature or a cough. Runny nose is certainly not the distinguisher the government's disinformation made out! (I had a runny nose too).

The problem here is that we have far too slow testing. So by the time you (finally!) get to book a test and get the results your child might have been off school for 4 or 5 days. If testing was same day and everyone could get back to normal very quickly if negative then it wouldn't be an issue. That needs to be a priority.

Am I right in thinking that there is a lot of scaremongering going on or should we all be far more cautious and keep our children off with every minor symptom
People just need to follow what the NHS are saying:

If someone has a new, continuous cough, a change in sense of taste or smell, or a temperature then they need to isolate and get a test.

If someone has the sniffles and a snotty nose they don't need to be off or tested.

What amazes me is how many mumsnetters can apparently tell if their child's new, continuous cough is Covid 19 or a cold. There's a chronic shortage of testing slots available, all entirely solvable by putting some mumsnetters in carparks to work their diagnostic magic.

Though seriously, schools are difficult enough right now without people sending children in with covid symptoms when they'll be the first to complain if there's any bubbles sent home/told to isolate/schools close.

GP is just reiterating government advice that if anyone has a cough they should get tested and should be isolated until a negative comes back along with their household.

@iVampire

If you are vulnerable please shield

Shielding is currently paused, but even when in action it was for the exceptionally medically vulnerable (not all those classed as vulnerable)

It’s in everyone’s interests to keep transmission as low as possible. Getting fed up of it, just as the winter virus season approaches, cases are rising and cautionary notes are sounding from the medical community, seems that the most spectacular own goal

I think this is a management problem.

It's well known in public health that people have limited ability to accept the kinds of restrictions that are happening. It's why countries were careful not to bring them in all that quickly, before Covid was found in the population. The thinking, if I remember correctly, is that you get something like eight weeks before compliance starts to suffer.

It's a psychological phenomena in part, but that doesn't mean it's not real - people cannot live at high alert for long periods of time and in situations where it is unavoidable, like wars, it has detrimental effects. It's also in part practical - people can only put off the work of life for so long. In relativly wealthy and developed nations we have more resilience there than some others do, but there are still limits. Many people can't, for example, stay home from work every time a child has a runny nose. They need to be able to leave a job, or get childcare, or they will end up leaving the child home alone if they are pushed enough.

On a behavioural level this attempt is a huge experiment and it may be that there isn't any set of rules or procedures that will make it work.

For me, there are a few issues:

1. the guidance on ‘cough’ is still too open to interpretation. What is an episode? Some people are saying any cough, others 20 mins of coughing.

2. schools have been asking for tests for runny noses when it isn’t a symptom.

3. everyone knew this was inevitable as we hit autumn/winter but the September surge doesn’t appear to have been planned in

4. testing is now too inconvenient and slow. Children can’t be put for a week or longer every time they get a cold and cough. They’ll be denied an education when they’re not really sick, parents won’t be able to work and as a consequence people will lie or not bother getting tested.

Our school has emailed saying they will continue to be strict on absences and to send kids in if they have a cold. Only stay away if fever and new cough or the usual 48 hours rule for diarrhoea.