to want to be excused from Jury Service due to Covid?

[MiaThermopolis]

As 2020 is the year that keeps on giving, jury summons arrived this morning for february.

I am going to ask to be excused on the basis of 4 primary aged DC for who I am sole carer outside of school hours (DH works long hours). They could also be required to isolate at any given time and clearly you can't outsource childcare for self isolating DC!

I am also asthmatic and fat, my risk of complications from Covid is high and the thought of spending time in the city centre and then inside buildings with strangers terrifies me (I live rurally and bar the kids going to school and my weekly shop delivery I have seen no-one for months.).

Will this be enough to get me excused? I just can't deal with this right now!!

@MiaThermopolis

I have been excused. To my understanding this means I won’t be called again in the next 12 months but my name then goes back ‘into the pot’ after that so I can be called again.

Like I said, without Covid it would be awkward but possible. Covid takes out all my possible childcare options.

It’s not a list of excuses. The facts are I have 4 young DC, I’m over an hour from the court, DH has no leave, school has no space in clubs, other school has no club, I’m high risk for complications and have anxiety. They are facts.

Without Covid I would have been able to find a way.

Anyway, I’ve been excused and they got back to me in a day which is amazing as I don’t have to worry any more. I felt the weight lift as soon as I read the email.

Thanks to those who understood and were supportive, it helped keep me calm.

But this is simply not true.

Your children are not isolating nor do they have covid. That is a bridge you could have crossed at the time. Covid makes no actual changes to your childcare.
This is now a non issue as you've been excused but I think it's important you are honest without yourself about the fact you just don't actually want to do jury duty.

I did JJ while I was employed and as one poster said, it was quite interesting. I got leave with pay because I worked for a university.

After I left employed work and began my own business I did not want to take 2 weeks away from my business so I got excused on health grounds (panic attacks). I reckoned I had already done my civic duty. Im over the age now so dont have to worry about it again. I would just ring up a few days before and say you have CV symptoms and have to self isolate. They will more or less have to accept that.

While I sympathise you are in a better situation than many. And your question about one of the children having to isolate, well if that happens then you will have to tell the court at the time.

I'm a 'key worker' and in the clinically vulnerable group so those things might 'get me out of it'. But if I had to do it I would try to scrabble together childcare from various sources, including friends. That's what many of us have had to do this year anyway due to the impact of Covid, pandemic or not. Childcare provision has been decimated, and jobs are precarious if they haven't gone already so taking time off is not an option. This year has shown that you should always have a back up plan, and some savings of possible.
See what they say, but if it's no then you will have to come up with a plan.

But @marisacoulter surely that means we should be raising the allowances for all parents, particularly those breastfeeding and unable to separate, now lowering it because someone else seemingly has it better than another who was forced to go.

As many PP have rightly said, if they want it to be possible for members of the public to drop everything and do the service, they need to ensure they compensate fairly and provide adequate childcare (paying to cover the cost is bare minimum - allowance wouldn't even cover half the cost where we are). Even if they were willing to pay, it won't magically create childcare spaces in normal times, let alone a pandemic. Nor would it guarantee pre schoolers will settle and no chance many parents would be happy to leave ebf baby under 6 months. How can they focus and be member of jury if they've had no sleep and are just thinking about their baby?

If DH had not been with an employer who gave him the time off, there is no way we could afford to lose 2 weeks of his income with the minimal expenses provided as compensation.

@riddles26

But *@marisacoulter* surely that means we should be raising the allowances for all parents, particularly those breastfeeding and unable to separate, now lowering it because someone else seemingly has it better than another who was forced to go.

As many PP have rightly said, if they want it to be possible for members of the public to drop everything and do the service, they need to ensure they compensate fairly and provide adequate childcare (paying to cover the cost is bare minimum - allowance wouldn't even cover half the cost where we are). Even if they were willing to pay, it won't magically create childcare spaces in normal times, let alone a pandemic. Nor would it guarantee pre schoolers will settle and no chance many parents would be happy to leave ebf baby under 6 months. How can they focus and be member of jury if they've had no sleep and are just thinking about their baby?

If DH had not been with an employer who gave him the time off, there is no way we could afford to lose 2 weeks of his income with the minimal expenses provided as compensation.

But we can't have it both ways.

If people with children are excused , why is it fair that someone (for example my boss who had to be off for three weeks ) have to go ? They are losing income too. Why is it only ever about parents ?

I'm not saying it's just about parents though. I also said that they need to compensate fairly for lost income. As I mentioned, if DH employer hadn't offered paid leave when he was called, he wouldn't have been able to go as we rely on his income for all bills and expenses.

I know 3 self employed high earners who submitted accounts to show it was financially unviable to lose 2 weeks income and were excused on that basis. If everyone's contribution is vital, it includes them as much as parents and systems need to be in place for all to contribute without a detrimental effect on their livelihood

@riddles26

I'm not saying it's just about parents though. I also said that they need to compensate fairly for lost income. As I mentioned, if DH employer hadn't offered paid leave when he was called, he wouldn't have been able to go as we rely on his income for all bills and expenses.

I know 3 self employed high earners who submitted accounts to show it was financially unviable to lose 2 weeks income and were excused on that basis. If everyone's contribution is vital, it includes them as much as parents and systems need to be in place for all to contribute without a detrimental effect on their livelihood

I do agree.

But there needs to be changes across the board so that it's fair for everyone , which won't happen for as long as people lie about their circumstances.

Agreed and I don't know how to resolve that but I do believe that it's not fair to be giving OP a guilt trip that she's lucky to be a SAHM and there being people in worse circumstances.

@riddles26

Agreed and I don't know how to resolve that but I do believe that it's not fair to be giving OP a guilt trip that she's lucky to be a SAHM and there being people in worse circumstances.

I never said that. My view would be that OP should tell them she can't do it as she can't afford.tje childcare.

Not 'my child has covid symptoms'.