To think people haven’t thought through the implications of the new freedom from isolation for children

[eastegg]

I hadn’t really, I confess, but it’s just bitten me on the bum.

DS, who starts school this year so has six days left at nursery, went back to nursery today after being away for 11 days.

At 4pm I got a phone call to say a child in his room had tested positive for Covid via PCR and so my child had to get a PCR test but could continue to attend nursery. When I queried how my child could have had a contact today with a child who tested positive today, because surely the child would not be at nursery if they were waiting for a test result, I was told that the child had indeed been in today and sent home when the positive result came through. Nursery told me the parents had initially got a LFT which was negative, felt something wasn’t right and so did a PCR. Child had no symptoms.

I can only presume the child must have had a contact, as there would be no reason to get a test without symptoms otherwise.

Under the old rules, your child would have to isolate after a positive contact. But now you can crack on, send your child to an enclosed space with close contact with others, without any requirement to notify the other parents.

I am really smarting from this as I now feel we can’t visit my vulnerable parents as planned, in the light of this information. This really stings as they have only seen their only GCs twice in 20 months and I don’t know when we will next get to see them. I think that is colouring my view a bit tbh.

There’s no way I would have sent my child in today if I had known that the parents of another child had been sufficiently concerned to get their child a PCR test and were sending them in pending the results. No way. AIBU to think that if we are going to relax the isolation rules, there should at least be a requirement to notify people you are going to be in close contact with?

All that's going to happen is eventually people stop testing. Then they don't need to pull their kids from nursery and school. You'll send your kids in and never know. Then you'll go and visit granny and spread it.

Oh I forgot to say, the test for my just 4 year old, and I imagine many others, is horrendous. DH took him and he’s fairly laid back but says there’s no way he will subject our child to that again. DS has done 2 before but completely refuses now so has to be held down. It’s either that or isolate anyway.

Also, what is the point of testing just a few hours after the contact, as we have been told to do? The child could easily develop Covid as a result of the contact tomorrow or the day after.

Totally agree, it’s one thing no longer requiring contact isolation, but if I was sufficiently concerned to get my child PCR tested I’d have them home until I got the result.

This is just the way it will be in schools and nurseries now. To be honest, it’s what it will be like pretty much anywhere you mix with people. The only people isolating after close contact will be unvaccinated adults.The relaxation of social distancing also means that our number of contacts is increasing.

I think that as vaccinations continue to roll out it will feel less scary though.

@Bathtimebillie

All that's going to happen is eventually people stop testing. Then they don't need to pull their kids from nursery and school. You'll send your kids in and never know. Then you'll go and visit granny and spread it.

Sure, I see the flaws in the isolation policy, but I’m not suggesting going back to that necessarily, just some sort of notification requirement in certain situations.

@FlourishingFrisbee

Totally agree, it’s one thing no longer requiring contact isolation, but if I was sufficiently concerned to get my child PCR tested I’d have them home until I got the result.

My thoughts exactly.

@MadameMinimes

This is just the way it will be in schools and nurseries now. To be honest, it’s what it will be like pretty much anywhere you mix with people. The only people isolating after close contact will be unvaccinated adults.The relaxation of social distancing also means that our number of contacts is increasing.

I think that as vaccinations continue to roll out it will feel less scary though.

I’m not scared. Just quite pissed off that my parents have to be separated for even longer from their GCs because my child went into nursery for the first time in 11 days to immediately have contact with a positive child awaiting a PCR result.

Wait till they mix with kids who’s parent have COVID at home and they are still allowed to come to school.

And kids who are obviously ill still being sent to school ans parents refuse to collect.

Kids who won’t LFT twice weekly.

Kids who refuse to wash their hands.

Kids who’s sleep in the same room and play with siblings with COVID.

Staff shortages as they become ill or have to care for their own children.
Schools and work places closing temporary as no staff to run them.

There’s loads of rule changes.

Employers need to step up and make their own rules, because it won’t just be schools that suffer. You could be a very close contact and not be told, or require a test.

Yeah its annoying in this instance but it's there to prevent whole classes or year groups from having to miss 10 days of school due to one positive case. Its a trade off.

The child had no symptoms whatsoever, they did a lateral flow (which isn’t recommended on young kids) and a PCR ‘because they felt something wasn’t right’, a likely story. Something must have made them test! The child shouldn’t have been at nursery

Also, what is the point of testing just a few hours after the contact, as we have been told to do?

I'm hearing this a lot. And there's no point at all, as it takes at least two days for anyone to incubate the virus after being in contact with someone who's positive. It's a ridiculous requirement that's of no use at all as no one can test positive when only a few hours have passed since contact. But when it comes back negative ( as it will) they'll assume all is okay and NOT test at the point that viral particles will be shedding. It's worse than useless, it's dangerous.

Even now, after 18 months, it's clear that those who run many establishments still don't understand the science.

@saraclara

Also, what is the point of testing just a few hours after the contact, as we have been told to do?

I'm hearing this a lot. And there's no point at all, as it takes at least two days for anyone to incubate the virus after being in contact with someone who's positive. It's a ridiculous requirement that's of no use at all as no one can test positive when only a few hours have passed since contact. But when it comes back negative ( as it will) they'll assume all is okay and NOT test at the point that viral particles will be shedding. It's worse than useless, it's dangerous.

Even now, after 18 months, it's clear that those who run many establishments still don't understand the science.

I know. But it’s the government not understanding the science, not the nursery’s fault. As the current rules state that a child who has had a positive contact should continue to attend their education or childcare setting, have a PCR test but still continue to attend. So not only will the negative results be meaningless (and the reason why I still won’t feel it’s safe to see my parents) but the children can all continue to attend right through, unless they get a positive!

I thought if you were a close contact you were advised to isolate until you got a negative PCR back.

We've managed this way with every other illness including nasties like norovirus. Several times norovirus has swept through 2/3s of the class a few at a time over about 10 days. They seem fine, then the puking starts... Sometimes schools reach the threshold where they have to be closed for deep cleans.

We can not ruin a 3rd year of education/ schooling with lockdowns and the constant threat of 10 days of isolation because one person was ill. The new y2s have not had a normal school year yet. Y6s have not had a normal school year siince y3. Y13s have not had a normal school year since y10 and have already had tjeir GCSEs disrupted. The cumulative toll for any cohort of young people is top great now.

If there had to be notifications every time a child was in that was a contact there would be notifications every day. All contacts are supposed to do PCR tests so notifying if a PCR test was being done would still cause notifications every day.