AIBU-Covid in nursery yet still open??

[HelloWorld2577]

Hello!

So my little boys nursery is quite small and is made up of two separate rooms, babies and toddlers. 3 staff members in the nursery have tested positive. The nursery are refusing to close the nursery, or 'bubbles' (as I said it's small so the nursery is only made up of 2 bubbles). They say new guidance is to remain open, STILL CHARGING PARENTS who do not feel comfortable sending their children in, whilst track and trace contact the persons contacts, which would be every child & staff member.

The nursery are just delaying the inevitable. But I'm so disgusted with them for still charging parents & not closing!

Does anyone know anything about this 'new guidance' for early years that means they have to wait for track and trace to contact everyone?

YABU- nursery are just following what they've been told
YANBU- nursery should want to protect the children at all costs knowing that they will all become contacts of infected people, it's simply a matter of waiting for track and trace to contact.

Thanks

YABU That's current guidance

But we have to pay open or shut, self isolating or attending anyway.

Have they still got the right ratios? But yes they are following the guidance

After the 16th schools and childcare will remain open and have people in even if the children’s siblings or parents have covid or staff members households. Sometimes there are no words ….

Yes, that's the way it's going to be from now on, schools are the same. No need to close bubbles, keep them open. No one isolates until test and trace contacts you, and that's only if they do as children/parents have to provide details of close contacts and not schools/childcare providers.

YANBU to take your son out if you don’t feel it’s safe, but surely you’d be paying full fees even if the nursery closed?

yes, they are doing the right thing - that is the current rules

Yup, that’s the guidance. No bubbles. And, from the 16th, no need to isolate for close contacts either.

YABU - you cannot really expect them to go against current guidelines at the cost to their business.

don't send your child - but yes, you will still need to pay

Of course nursery will still charge if you’re choosing to not send your child.

From august 16th there will be no bubbles.

Have I got that right? Sorry if not, maybe it’s no isolation.

They are following the guidance, children don’t have to isolate now just because they’ve been a contact. Your child’s nursery are doing nothing wrong, if you don’t like it, keep your child at home until the members of staff are clear/back to work, but expect to pay.

As the others have said, rightly or wrongly that is the latest guidance for nurseries & schools!

I'd be furious if my nursery closed (meaning that I couldn't work) if they didn't need to.

Just to reply- the whole nursery had to close a month ago and they charged us nothing for 10 days off due to their being a 'barrier to them providing services' which we were paying for they did not charge us for these 10 days. I would've thought it would be reasonable to not charge again seeing as it costs £65 a day which is a lot to pay, and they told staff to still come into work despite being contacted by the first staff member who tested positive that they needed to isolate. And they've now caused an outbreak which could've been contained!

@Zarene so you'd be happy to send your child to nursery knowing 3 people who had tested positive for covid had been in contact with all the staff who were caring for your child? Causing your child to likely get covid?

I think this is the guidance OP
www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/actions-for-early-years-and-childcare-providers-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
"We no longer recommend that it is necessary to keep groups apart as much as possible...Close contacts will now be identified via NHS Test and Trace and education settings will no longer be expected to undertake contact tracing....This is likely to be a small number of individuals who would be most at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of the close contact. You may be contacted in exceptional cases to help with identifying close contacts, as currently happens in managing other infectious diseases."

YABU. They are simply following the new guidance. Only those told to isolate by track and trace will be expected to stay at home. They rest of us will have to go to work as normal.

If you choose to keep your child off, that's fine but still expect to have to pay.

It's going to be the same with schools once they reopen in September. I'm not even sure we will be told of cases in classes tbh.

Yes absolutely. We've all had Covid (almost asymptotically) , the adults are all double jabbed, and I'm happy following the rules.

The risk of my child getting sick (beyond a standard sniffle) is tiny, but the risk of me losing my job if I have another ten days off is large.

I'd take the chance at sending my child into school/nursery despite the risk as I believe the actual risk of developing long term complications for young children (with no underlying health conditions) is low.

I honestly think it's going to be dealt with the same way as something like chicken pox going forward (and I'm NOT saying Covid is the same before someone jumps on it)

The only alternative is going to be for you to keep them at home.

I think for the last week of term here (after the guidance changed) schools weren't even telling people if there'd been a case. So your nursery could have even not told you.

I think this will be "interesting" come September as I too wouldn't want to send a child in anywhere that had several cases. Yet I won't even know!

YABU. You are free not to send them but you need to pay if they are open. And they are open legally.

YABU - they are correctly following the guidelines. We had 4 confirmed cases in DS's nursery bubble a couple of weeks ago. Some parents chose to isolate their children for 10 days, we sent DS back after missing one session (7 days after last contact). You can't expect not to pay.

the whole nursery had to close a month ago and they charged us nothing for 10 days off due to their being a 'barrier to them providing services' which we were paying for they did not charge us for these 10 days.

Them having to close and not charging you is very different from you choosing not to send your child in.

My sons nursery had to close and he had to isolate for 10 days as his nursery worker tested positive! I was still made to pay! I wasn't too happy!