To think parents will begin to lie

[Settleandcalm]

DD has a slight temp for one day, as a result doing the right thing we eventually got the test, and a veeeery long time later the results. The test was awful making her vomit over herself, the wait for my older children who are already struggling being in and out of school also awful. But it was the right thing to do.

BUT. Would I put her through that test every 3 weeks which is the average she got a temp:cough last year? No. Can I afford to lose my job? No. I will do the right thing but I have an utter fear over it.

But I suppose I wonder how long it will take parents to start slipping back to the “watch and see” version of illness. If it’s just a bit of a temp on one day... just a bit of a cough... maybe give them a day and see if they are fine, rather than fight for a test or isolate The whole family for 14 days.

There are already kids in school coughing and I know only us and one other family has tested, so perhaps, because of the testing fiasco and inconsistent rules people are already starting to lie?

[NaughtipussMaximus]

@WanderingMilly

I work in a school (not teaching) and have sent children home in the last few days. They are children who are coughing, mostly, and all had a very obvious colds (sneezing, runny nose, sore throat, very obvious phlemmy cough rather than dry, continuous COVID cough). Most have not had a temperature or very slightly raised, and not as high as the government 37.8 guideline.

I have been saying to parents, no need to test, this is not a testing scenario, this is just a child with a bad cold who shouldn't be at school spreading it to others, keep at home until cleared.

Much better than expecting everyone to get tested. We have had others who show more COVID-type symptoms though, and of course they are asked to test (although all have been negative so far).

Our school has said not to keep them off with a cold and cough, unless the child is obviously feeling ill with it or has a temperature. They said if a child has a cough, they’ll monitor it over the course of an hour, then send them home if they feel it’s continuous and not related to a snotty nose cold. It seems a reasonable common sense approach, but we’ll see how it pans out.

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

‘How is the school expecting the parents to cope with that sort of demand? How will the parents be able to take some many days off to look after said children?

If the school wouldn’t have sent the children back home before, then they shouldn't sent them home now. Unless the school is doing it’s usual thing of assuming mum is at home all day so it doesn’t matter ‘

Yeah sure, keep sending them in. They’ll close anyway when all the staff are sick or isolating

‘How is the school expecting parents to cope with this sort of demand?’

So you are saying it’s the schools fault that your child may be sick? It’s not actually the schools problem how you cope with it. The school has to think about all the other children/staff/parents.

Such short sightedness in this thread. Keep sending them in ill means the schools will close anyway, and for longer

[InYerFace]

@NaughtipussMaximus Our school is taking the same approach to coughs that come with a cold. As long as they don't have a temperature and feel otherwise well, it's fine to send them in with a cough. I wasn't sure whether to be happy they're not overreacting to every sniffle, or worried they weren't being careful enough!

[canigooutyet]

And schools not knowing shows what an absolute shambles track and trace is. Rather than parents being told schools cannot ask, if T&T was fit for purpose the message would be roughly - tell them, don't tell them, T&T will inform them anyway.

[steppemum]

So dd is ill.
She had an earache, then glandular sore throat, then headache and temp.
She has been off school for 3 days, and slept on and off yesterday.

So, I know that isn't Covid. I am not getting her tested, I will send her back on Monday, assuming she is better.

But if I mention to school that as part of this she has a temp, then she may not be allowed back.

[zigaziga]

I wouldn’t lie about a temperature but I’m also not a parent that often takes their child’s temperatures.. I’ve probably done it once of twice ever per child. If they feel hot (rare) and don’t seem themselves / complain of not feeling right I might give calpol. I’ve only checked on the once every few years instances when they feel SO hot that I want to check just in case the temp is so high they would need to go to A&E, and thankfully it’s never been that high.

[Gwynfluff]

If you are a low income family and work in a zero contract role or a subcontracted role out of the home, with no enhanced sick pay, so your company just won't pay you - you can see how you might well send your kid to school. For some people they are little making a choice about whether they can feed their kids. That's the reality. Government needs to sort statutory sick pay out in this period.

[canigooutyet]

How is the school expecting parents to cope with this sort of demand?’

It's not the schools, it's the government with their guidelines.
It's parents who dose up with paracetamol and send them in.

Mine went back for a week, now off with CV.
How do you expect those at gcse/A Level to cope with so much disruption? I am incredibly fucked off at the dipshit parents who sent in their child. He was in the house 24/7 when I had it, goes back and boom gets it (okay could have been the dipshit he passed on the street who coughed). Those near him now have 10 days off with no education. How will they cope knowing they are falling further behind?

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

No tests available for love nor money in my area.
My two have picked up a particularly unpleasant cold. Started with a sore throat and runny nose. Ds2 has a cough, but I've never known him have a cold without a cough. It isn't "continuous" in the way a Covid cough is described, he coughs quite a bit in the morning and then is fine through the day. It's also a very wet sounding cough.
So it's probably not Covid, just a nasty cold.
I've kept them both off yesterday and today. If they're well on Monday I want to send them back in.
DH has had to work. If I wasn't a sahp we'd be screwed.

[steppemum]

@zigaziga

I wouldn’t lie about a temperature but I’m also not a parent that often takes their child’s temperatures.. I’ve probably done it once of twice ever per child. If they feel hot (rare) and don’t seem themselves / complain of not feeling right I might give calpol. I’ve only checked on the once every few years instances when they feel SO hot that I want to check just in case the temp is so high they would need to go to A&E, and thankfully it’s never been that high.

to be fair, I haven't actually taken her temp, she just felt hot yesterday.

But also, she tends to get quick extremely high temps when she is ill, and she is fine.
As a young child she would have a cold and get a temp of 40/41 even 42 once. By the time we got to hospital (after calpol) it was 39 and they didn't believe me
So her being a bit warm is so common, I am not even taking her temp.

[NaughtipussMaximus]

[quote InYerFace]@NaughtipussMaximus Our school is taking the same approach to coughs that come with a cold. As long as they don't have a temperature and feel otherwise well, it's fine to send them in with a cough. I wasn't sure whether to be happy they're not overreacting to every sniffle, or worried they weren't being careful enough![/quote]
Ha! I feel exactly the same way!

[pastandpresent]

Steppemum, why do you need to mention that to school, if you know for sure she hasn't got covid?
She was ill, you knew why. She is well now, with no symptoms after 3 days.

I'm not sure, even if someone has recovered from covid, if they can still spread covid or not. You say you send her if she has recovered from her illness. Do covid still spread after person has recovered from it?

[timeforanew]

@PurpleFlower1983 the only PPE that would protect you if you are continuously next to children with COvid-18 is a full suit .Feel free to try it, but the outcry if we would make teachers wear these would be incredible. A cute little mask and visor (appart from also being really uncomfortable) doesn’t do much to protect you...

[Juststopswimming]

The reality is as well, that even in the worst affected hotspots, children with temps/coughs are still far more likely to just have colds than covid. Even those tests that are getting processed - the overwhelming majority are negative not positive.

Yes in an ideal world, those with symptoms would isolate and get tested and results through fast, to minimise disruption to everyone - unfortunately our government is the least competent bunch of imbeciles you could ever wish to find, so that isnt an option for most of the UK.

You can entirely understand why parents are making a judgment call based on their individual child/the rates in their area/their own work circumstances.

[NaughtipussMaximus]

@Gwynfluff

If you are a low income family and work in a zero contract role or a subcontracted role out of the home, with no enhanced sick pay, so your company just won't pay you - you can see how you might well send your kid to school. For some people they are little making a choice about whether they can feed their kids. That's the reality. Government needs to sort statutory sick pay out in this period.

I agree with this. The people who are saying ‘jobs aren’t as important as lives’ don’t seem to realise that in some cases, jobs = lives, in that without the parent working on their zero hours contract job, they’ll have no food and perhaps no home either.

[HamishDent]

Of course parents will lie. The current situation is unsustainable and if parents work outside the home and know their job is at risk if they take more time off, they will do what they have to.

[BrandyandBabycham]

Why does the Covid test make you vomit?

[ErinBrockovich]

@Ickabog thanks, I appreciate that.
Just goes to show, that even where the guidance is clear some settings aren’t following it. So both the school and (separate) nursery that my DC attend insisted on seeing the negative result before allowing them to return - the child at nursery did not have symptoms and was not tested, it was their sibling. So the nursery insisted on seeing the sibling’s test result before they would allow the other child to return.

[Castiel07]

@AlternativePerspective

I think they might but then it’s going to happen that they know someone who catches the virus and their view will change.

As for a temperature, no-one should be sending their child to school with a temperature, COVID or no COVID. Cough and a cold is fine when it’s a cold, but not a temperature. IMO.

And you are right if a child has a temp then no they shouldn't be at school and mine covid or not would be going in with a temperature.
But only I could of stayed at home seeing as I'm a sahm anyway.
But if we had to wait for a test or couldn't get one my husband does not get paid to self isolate for a dependent.

[Juststopswimming]

@BrandyandBabycham

Why does the Covid test make you vomit?

have you had a covid test?! They swab your tonsils and it makes you gag - horrible!!

[pastandpresent]

Reality is, those who are vulnerable suffers, so those who aren't can have normal life. But that's life. I got used to it over the years, tbh.
Those who don't care, just have decency to make sure people know you don't care for others, instead of making it sound like you do. That's admirable in some way, you have principles, and nothing wrong with it at all.

[FudgeBrownie2019]

Our school has said not to keep them off with a cold and cough, unless the child is obviously feeling ill with it or has a temperature. They said if a child has a cough, they’ll monitor it over the course of an hour, then send them home if they feel it’s continuous and not related to a snotty nose cold. It seems a reasonable common sense approach, but we’ll see how it pans out.

DS1's school have said exactly the same; he's Y10 so it's essential he's there as much as possible. Schools want children there as much as possible, so them being in touch with parents and simply monitoring children seems pretty much their only option.

[lughnasadh]

@pastandpresent what incredibly passive aggressive, self pitying, martyrish tripe.

Tedious, dull, and self absorbed.

[steppemum]

@pastandpresent

Steppemum, why do you need to mention that to school, if you know for sure she hasn't got covid?
She was ill, you knew why. She is well now, with no symptoms after 3 days.

I'm not sure, even if someone has recovered from covid, if they can still spread covid or not. You say you send her if she has recovered from her illness. Do covid still spread after person has recovered from it?

well I have to phone school every day to report absence.

I told school she had earache and sore throat. I deliberately didn't mention the temp. So, according to some, I am not obeying the rules. After all, if it was Covid, she could have passed it on before she was symptomatic, so the rest of her class shoudl isolate.

On the other hand, as you said, she is off school until symptoms pass, and I am sure it wasn't Covid.

But then there was also a thread yesterday about how Covid in kids presents as headache and sore throat. So maybe I am wrong?

My comment is really just about the difficulty of the situation we find ourselves in and how, as parents, we are having to make decisions about what we say to school.

[Notverybright]

@lughnasadh this will get deleted but it needs saying- fuck you.