To think many parents aren't aware that you are now supposed to send child to school even when household member has Covid?

[Babamamananarama]

Just that really.
I've brought this up with 3 separate people this week none of whom was aware.

Under new covid rules, if one child (or a parent/household member) has Covid, the other children can be sent to school as long as they aren't symptomatic. Schools are otherwise supposed to treat as unauthorised absence.

YANBU = wow I had no idea, WTF?
YABU = yes everyone knows this

Yes I knew but I think it is totally ridiculous. If I got it (again), I would keep my kids off.

Yes, I was aware - have a nursery age child and the position is similar (although different of course because I would never send my child to nursery if anyone in the house tested positive and there would be no repercussions from that decision).

I’m not sure what children who are dependent on their parents to get to school are supposed to do if their parents test positive, because the parents are required to self-isolate.

Dc school have said the children are expected in if someone else in the household tests positive so we would be risking a fine if we are cautious about it.

It is an insane rule. I have one dc with Covid and one so far negative. I am NOT sending her into school, risking her infecting teaching staff and other pupils . She doesn’t want to go in as she is worried that she may infect someone who then gets seriously ill.
She will miss five days schooling but even on a practical level she would miss more if half the teaching staff were at home with Covid.
My daughter was infected because of this policy, where family members can still go into group situations .

Might be allowed now but I don’t think it’s a good idea!

It's really hard now - my positive dd definitely caught it from school and had her class isolated when the first classmate tested positive she may not have caught it and so in that respect the bubble system would have protected her ...but then I'd have been moaning that she had missed a week of school ...however I also know lots of households where it hadn't spread within the family so it is hard to know whether we do need to move on- I'm saying this while my negative older daughter is sitting watching tv (school haven't provided the work they said they would if I kept her home) and looks a picture of health meanwhile my teacher husband is back at school as is my primary aged son .

@SirVixofVixHall

It is an insane rule. I have one dc with Covid and one so far negative. I am NOT sending her into school, risking her infecting teaching staff and other pupils . She doesn’t want to go in as she is worried that she may infect someone who then gets seriously ill. She will miss five days schooling but even on a practical level she would miss more if half the teaching staff were at home with Covid. My daughter was infected because of this policy, where family members can still go into group situations .

Well this is the problem isn’t it?

Short term thinking would suggest that it’s better for well children to be in school now than spend up to 10 days at home, but in the long term, that’s likely to lead to outbreaks in schools which will force public health authorities to close them to control outbreaks. Possibly more than once, leading to more disruption.

Given we are only talking about household contacts it’s a rather daft position to take when keeping covid out of schools as much as possible would lead to less disruption.

Learning to live with Covid doesn’t mean going back to 2019. It’s shorthand for learning to live with Covid responsibly which does mean making some changes to control the spread a bit.

They obviously want us all to catch it ASAP because these rules are ridiculous. That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of.

The problem is the government had a stupid rule when all lids in a bubble had to be sent home, regardless of whether practically they'd had any exposure to the sick child. This was overkill. However when someone in a family has covid it's extremely hard for other family members not to catch it. A more sensible solution might have been "isolate if you live with someone who has covid". This would have prevented all the cases of transmission I know about whilst not sending whole classes home

I didn't know this

@Wheresmybiscuit3

They obviously want us all to catch it ASAP because these rules are ridiculous. That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of.

I suspect it’s a combination of Boris being bored of Covid, his inability to be able to deal with anything serious and only deal in campaigning slogans and positive messages and an inability to grasp the basic facts.

There’s probably a whole army of scientific experts rolling their eyes because they know what’s coming next.

YABU - I knew about this.
However, when speaking to several friends its clear they weren't totally aware (they admit they have given up on watching news/reading papers etc due to anxiety so this might be the reason) so there are still pockets of people not in the know.

We've agreed that as a household if one of us get it we will try our hardest to isolate the entire house - so, no visiting family, eldest kept off school etc. However, DH is a teacher and his school will not allow him to stay off unless he is the person with covid (he's had it twice already, so lets hope he doesn't get it again!)... so there will likely come a time when me/the kids have covid and DH is in work teaching 30+ kids and coming into contact with lots of staff members. Seems pretty ridiculous, and a sure way to move outbreaks from one school/setting to the next with relative ease. But, I do appreciate we've got to move on and find some ways to live with Covid as the vaccines are not 100%

Schools will implement their outbreak plans if needed.

Do you know what the outbreak plan is? If there’s an outbreak (10% of kids in close contact within 10 days) we have to

Open a window if it’s not too cold
Consider having outside lessons
Do a one-off clean of the light switches.

That is the official DfE contingency framework.

Everyone I know is aware but thinks it's mental, so won't be sending their children in (or going into work themselves, unless they're made to).

Even our nursery manager said it's crazy and they're not happy with the new rules at all. Their staff are going to be providing personal care to children whose siblings are off sick with Covid? Madness.

I am aware, people I know are also aware.

It’s causing huge issues across Scotland. But I’m guessing that was the intention when they changed the rules.

If one person in our household catches Covid we will all be isolating.

I think Boris is banking on everyone getting Covid before winter sets in, thus 'saving' Christmas and reducing the effect on hospitals in late winter, when everyone is lacking vitamin D and more likely to get more sick. Unfortunately I think it's going to impact on the NHS well before that.

Tbh, much as I would like to avoid it forever, I'd rather get it now than February...

My middle daughter woke up with a headache this morning, and tested positive on a lateral flow. I contacted both my other children's schools and they both said siblings must go in unless they test positive, which they haven't yet. I have booked pcr tests for us all tomorrow but schools don't want then off unless they get symptoms or a positive test.

Hi Meandering Gently - please may I ask what your new job is ? I was working in Early Years Pre-School Playgroup which shut because of Covid but now would like to do something else but without face to face contact. Thank you

"All vulnerable people are now double vaccinated"

Please be aware that for a lot of vulnerable people, including 280,000 blood cancer patients, vaccinations do not work so they remain highly clinically vulnerable and yet expected to be at work/send their children to school.

I think government are going for herd immunity policy now, probably to stop NHS being overwhelmed in winter

School made us aware last week just before they went back. I think its nuts.

Under the current rules, what do single parents do if they test positive and the children are still expected at school?

@Babamamananarama

"All vulnerable people are now double vaccinated"

Please be aware that for a lot of vulnerable people, including 280,000 blood cancer patients, vaccinations do not work so they remain highly clinically vulnerable and yet expected to be at work/send their children to school.

Also worth lounging out that all of the adults I know with covid have been double jabbed. Good news is they're not that unwell (with the exception of one who has been in bed for 2 weeks but still isn't bad enough to need hospitalisation) Bad news is they can and have contracted and spread the virus. Perhaps "less sick" is as good as we will get for the vaccinated.

@Babamamananarama

"All vulnerable people are now double vaccinated"

Please be aware that for a lot of vulnerable people, including 280,000 blood cancer patients, vaccinations do not work so they remain highly clinically vulnerable and yet expected to be at work/send their children to school.

There are also some of us who are vulnerable and cannot have the vaccinations due to a number of concerns from our consultants and adhering to the green book guidance in regards to allergies etc.

If my daughter catches covid I will have to stay at home and alternate with her dad for childcare. I can't really leave an 11 year old alone for 10 days ( I have no family nearby) If I'm ill I'm not sure how my colleagues who teach her will feel knowing I'm at home with covid. Her Dad lectures at a college. Madness.

But all of you keeping your kids at home - presumably you don't need to work? Or you get paid to work at home?

What about those people (the vast majority of the workforce btw) who can't afford to stay at home, because they don't get paid. The isolation grant is no longer available. There is no entitlement to paid leave. to furlough or to sick pay. If a whole class gets sent home when someone is positive, or if a whole family has to stay at home when one is sick, the parent will lose income. Or lose their job. None of you are looking at the bigger picture.

My dd tested positive on Sunday. She is up and bouncy today Completely well. 2 days later. This was the same for my other children too. For the vest majority of children this is the case. Unless the financial support structure is in place there's no way many parents can afford to isolate.

I always read these threads (which I wish would stay in the covid topic, which I have hidden) and think that some people here love lockdowns.

(and yes if you have a vulnerable person in your family, you may feel and act differently, but you know, there are the needs of so many other people to consider here too).