Testing every fortnight-do they do this in the U.K.?

[Madtimes78]

I’m not in the U.K. (am British but in Europe) a new law may be coming where they will test all nursery and school children every fortnight for covid. Beyond gobsmacked about this. My toddler Dd is due to start nursery/pre school in September when she’ll have just turned three and may have the prospect of being tested every two weeks, is this normal?! What are we coming to?

*The law may be coming to where I am-not in the U.K, do they do this in the U.K.? Or will there be plans to?

Don’t know about it being law but there are plans to test pupils twice a week when they return to school, certainly at secondary age. Not sure about primary schools. Our secondary school have requested two negative tests before they return after lockdown.

They don’t atm as mine are still in school. If they plan to then I won’t be sending them tbh.

Teachers have started getting test kits to test themselves twice weekly, in line with those working in a medical capacity. Kids seem be asymptomatic, testing might help to stop it spreading 🤷‍♀️

No not primary school children but primary staff are at home. Staff and children at secondary school but it is all based on consent not on a law.

Certainly the plan has been to test all secondary aged children and tbh I think that’s a good idea.

There hasn’t been any mention of testing primary school children and certainly not nursery aged ones.

My DP is tested once a week at work - he works in an environment where there are lots of vulnerable people although he himself doesn’t work closely with them, but all staff have a weekly test.

Thing is they’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t. If they do test there will be parents complaining that their precious darling’s civil liberties are being eroded, and if they don’t test and the figures go up and schools close again people will demand they re-open because of the impact on children’s education. They really can’t win here.

Where are you, OP and who will be testing the children-parents or school?

I'm not sure whats happening at primary, but staff at secondary in England are currently being offered 2 tests a week, and the students who are in school (about 10% in our case) are offered a test once a week. It's not compulsory - the parents need to have signed consent, and the kids can still decline on the day.

There is talk about expanding it to test kits at home for primary kids, but dont believe that is happening yet. I understand staff in primary have recieved kits for home testing.

I'm in Scotland and plans are to have senior age secondary pupils tested twice a week (age 14ish+) as well as all teachers/nursery staff. There are no plans to test younger children. It's all optional and need to give consent beforehand

Where are you OP? I’m in Europe, but haven’t heard this for where we are, thankfully! Our schools seem to be coping really well and have been back as normal since September! My littlest ones are 3, and in their first year at school - it would be awful for them being tested once, let alone that often routinely!

@Howshouldibehave @mamawithfive I’m in Portugal, they would be tested every fortnight apparently at nurseries and schools. In one paragraph it states in council areas where the numbers are 480 people positive in 10,000 (have to check those figures) however in the next text it says regardless of there being ‘Any’ positive cases in the area, they’ll still test 🤷🏻‍♀️It includes all areas where groups of people are-prisons, factories etc.

@AlternativePerspective ‘Precious darlings civil liberties are being eroded’

My toddler Dd who will have only just turned 3 will have to line up every two weeks to be tested, is this normal or right?! Seriously, what are we allowing to happen to our kids.

@mamawithfive Where are you? That’s fantastic! We’re in lockdown here, no schools/nurseries open.

In scotland early years at school and nursery are going back from Monday. Teachers will test but not the children.

@dementedpixie Do the staff in nurseries and schools wear masks? Do the children?

I wouldn't like that at all OP. My toddler has been tested twice - it's very upsetting for them at that age, impossible to do it properly anyway, and I wouldn't consent for anyone else to do that to my child unless it was due to suspected illness and the person was a medical professional.
Secondary age pupils and even older primary pupils can administer their own test so as long as they were ok with it I wouldn't mind them having a regular test at school.
In the UK there has been no mention of this in nurseries thank goodness!

No one wears masks in UK nurseries either. My nephew is in a nursery in the US - he is 2. The staff and children there wear masks. I think it's inhumane!

@SnackSizeRaisin The staff in nurseries here do too, I hate it. I so wanted her in nursery to have the socialisation she’s missing out on, but then with masks and the prospect of fortnightly testing 🤷🏻‍♀️How can I agree to that

I work in a primary school and test myself twice weekly.

I’m not sure how I feel about routine testing for my 11 yo. It’s not pleasant. I have no idea how you will get a toddler to do it repeatedly. I would think it would be very stressful for everyone concerned, especially when they know what’s coming. I don’t think I’d be happy with this at all. And working in a school with little children, I sure as hell wouldn’t be doing it. There is a real risk of them developing a school aversion at that age, if you stick things down their throat and up their nose twice weekly.

Beyond the unpleasantness of it, my concern with regular testing is that the lateral flow tests are not very reliable. If they are being used to identify asymptomatic cases, fine.

If they are being used to see who is positive once someone in a bubble has already tested positive, not fine. I would rather, in that instance, the bubble isolates automatically, on the basis that if someone is positive and you test the rest, there will be people who test negative who then carry on using the bus to get to school, or whatever, but who are actually positive.

[quote Madtimes78]@dementedpixie Do the staff in nurseries and schools wear masks? Do the children?[/quote]
Neither the children or teachers in primary school or nursery wear masks. Teachers at secondary school and older secondary school students (age 14+) wear masks at school.

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to test? It's very reassuring and anything that helps us get out of lockdown is a good thing.

They aren’t even regularly testing early years staff in England, so I doubt they will start testing the children any time soon!

@Toddlerteaplease To have little 3 year olds lining up every two weeks to test?? Possibly regardless of if there’s any positive cases in the area at all..that’s insane

Yep. I have been testing babies at work every two to 3 days at the minute. It's a complete non issue.

@Toddlerteaplease It’s not a none issue to me to have my Dd expected to line up and be tested with such regularity.