To think schools just won’t be able to stay open in the medium term

[Schoolgrand]

In the medium term we are having thousands of people mixing from different households at a time of high community transmission and now we are hearing reports of an October lockdown. Aibu to think schools in their current form with no mitigation’s just can’t stay open in the medium term.

"12:00AlixandraTheGreat

@Peteycat

It spreads everywhere. What do you want, to shut everywhere again? Not gonna work or happen. What this poster is saying is that it's not just schools, so stop demonising the children. It's really dangerous to keep blaming a generation of children you know. There could be implications in the future. I don't know what some of you want honestly.

No-one is demonising children, or blaming them. Covid is to blame. That simply is the nature of a pandemic. You have to wait it out."

No but they are blaming children. The children are the first ones on these threads to have their schooling questioned. The unvaccinated population I think someone called them. I'm quite frankly sick of hearing this rubbish. We as adults are supposed to protect them and give them our absolute best, well I'm afraid in my opinion we haven't. So now is time to reflect on what we have done and challenge it. Get a normal life back for them. They deserve it.

"The kids have done their bit and we'll done to them. Enough is enough. Thankfully, this argument is over now because schools don't have mitigations in place

You really are ridiculous. Schools are not comprised only of children. You require adults to keep schools open. Adults who are now working with a wholly unvaccinated population and absolutely no mitigations in place to try and keep them safe. We know the delta variation is passing without any trouble at all between double-vaccinated adults. It will be impossible to avoid school closures. Utterly ridiculous to think otherwise"

The schools will not close again. I will bet that. It's utterly ridiculous for you to even suggest they will. Do you know something we don't?

@Peteycat

No but they are blaming children. The children are the first ones on these threads to have their schooling questioned. The unvaccinated population I think someone called them. I'm quite frankly sick of hearing this rubbish. We as adults are supposed to protect them and give them our absolute best, well I'm afraid in my opinion we haven't. So now is time to reflect on what we have done and challenge it. Get a normal life back for them. They deserve it.

They deserve adults that are intelligent and brave enough to take protective measures for them. These include, when required, mitigation methods in schools to keep them in school and to keep them healthy. These won't be long-term. No-one is blaming children for a second. Not a bit. Your aggressive and hysterical hyperbole needs to come down a notch.

I wholeheartedly agree that there should be some mitigation. It’s ridiculous that if I caught Covid tomorrow my children would be expected in school… I wouldn’t send them if that happened, but I have the luxury of being able to do that.

@FfrothiCoffi

It was truly pointless. Nearly 70% of our school were in. Loads of the ones at home were just passed around family members for care (mainly grandparents) because their parents had to work. I’m a governor at our school. We asked parents to continue to report cases in their children while they were at home from Jan- March this year. We had more cases amongst those at home than those in school (and I imagine not all the parents at home reported).

None of this surprises me. Not being in school can still mean lots of contacts for kids. It isn't necessarily even just grandparents, sometimes it's a much wider and more cobbled together arrangement of extended family, friends, neighbours, other parents etc.

"They deserve adults that are intelligent and brave enough to take protective measures for them. These include, when required, mitigation methods in schools to keep them in school and to keep them healthy. These won't be long-term. No-one is blaming children for a second. Not a bit. Your aggressive and hysterical hyperbole needs to come down a notch."

This

I'm not aggressive. Bei g passionate about what you believe in is not aggressive.

As for keeping them healthy, well they are of low risk if covid. That is a fact.

Brave? Please, don't get me started on people being 'brave'.

@Getawaywithit

And no one else is being expected to work with an almost 100% unvaccinated cohort with absolultely no mitigations other than teachers.

You mean except nursery workers, playgroup leaders, sports providers, paediatric medical staff etc etc ...

It makes no sense to blame the children for not being vaccinated! Blame the 20% of adults who have had the opportunity and declined. Teachers themselves have all had the opportunity to be vaccinated.

Last year we were told that teachers would be happy to work in schools once they were vaccinated. The goalposts keep changing.

"14:39FfrothiCoffi

Last year we were told that teachers would be happy to work in schools once they were vaccinated. The goalposts keep changing."

This. A million times. Nothing seems to be ever good enough.

@FfrothiCoffi

Last year we were told that teachers would be happy to work in schools once they were vaccinated. The goalposts keep changing.

Well, the information about the effectiveness of the vaccines & etc keeps changing, it's not entirely a stable situation is it?

@Peteycat

"The kids have done their bit and we'll done to them. Enough is enough. Thankfully, this argument is over now because schools don't have mitigations in place

You really are ridiculous. Schools are not comprised only of children. You require adults to keep schools open. Adults who are now working with a wholly unvaccinated population and absolutely no mitigations in place to try and keep them safe. We know the delta variation is passing without any trouble at all between double-vaccinated adults. It will be impossible to avoid school closures. Utterly ridiculous to think otherwise"

The schools will not close again. I will bet that. It's utterly ridiculous for you to even suggest they will. Do you know something we don't?

We don't know. No one actually knows. It depends on how things pan out, and the government has intimated as much regarding further restrictions and lockdowns (easing restrictions stopped being "irreversible" and even in denying definite plans for an October circuitbreaker, the government have said that there is some provisional planning going on). Even if schools are the last thing to close, it's just conceivable that they could. So not totally ridiculous. Just something we all want to avoid, going by this thread.

The vaccines are extremely effective at preventing hospitalisation and death. That was what they were designed for. They are more effective that anyone dreamed of before they were trialled and approved (they were hoping for 50% efficacy, along the lines of the flu vaccine). None of that has changed.

@FfrothiCoffi

The vaccines are extremely effective at preventing hospitalisation and death. That was what they were designed for. They are more effective that anyone dreamed of before they were trialled and approved (they were hoping for 50% efficacy, along the lines of the flu vaccine). None of that has changed.

But doubly vaccinated people are still being hospitalised and still dying , and doubly vaccinated people are still transmitting virus with quite a high viral load.

So we have to take into account any new information like this as it becomes available.

The vaccines are great of course.

However, now that we have delta, it seems they can do with bit more help from mitigations.

Fortunately, there are mitigations we can use, that could assist us with what is supposed to be a "very difficult winter".

@Peteycat

Brave? Please, don't get me started on people being 'brave'.

You really don't have to start you know

@Peteycat

Look I understand that some people are scared. Unfortunately, the wider picture is that we have to get on with life now. It's sad, I don't want people suffering with covid, but we have had nearly two years now of this and our mitigations and lockdowns are prolonging different suffering in different ways.

The children are suffering immensely. Socially, academic studies, clubs etc. Don't even get me started with children who suffer from abuse etc. They were let down during lockdown. Any of you who tell me differently, I will let you know that I know from many organisations and social workers that they most definitely were. When you rant at me and say I'm wrong etc, well I think you are wrong for testing children unnecessarily, and for neglecting to even think about other needs of children other than your and teachers protection from covid. Lots of people work through the pandemic, bin men, supermarkets etc. However teachers seem to have been put on this pedestal. We're all working, being exposed but most rational people accept the possibility of catching covid.

I also have vulnerable members of my family who are willing to live a normal life, enjoying life rather than just existing.

Lockdowns, masks and perpetual testing are detrimental to the wellbeing of humans. Being angry, sad upset, frustrated and depressed because you are locked away has massive implications on the immune system. We know that being happy boosts our immune system.

I understand that some people are scared

Not scared, just wanting to deal with the problem with the resources we have.

So that schools can stay open.

@Peteycat

Or they pretend they don't want school closed, but then just sneak in stipulations like testing and masks. So it's on their terms.

they don't want school closed, but then just sneak in stipulations like testing and masks

.... that would help keep schools open, yes

@ExceptionalAssurance

Why is Jesus weeping in response to a post supporting the ongoing right of teachers to have time off if they test positive for covid?

Because some teachers will be far too ill to possibly be able to work?

@SuperCaliFragalistic

FFS some people sound like they enjoy this shit. No I don't think schools should close again, ever.

It's been, honestly, joyful being back in playground this week seeing the kids mixing and playing freely. The delight at being able to use play equipment that was roped off for 18 months and talk to children in other classes. Swimming lessons and school trips being discussed excitedly. Very little makes me tearful but it's been so hard for these little people and they are finally getting back their normal childhood.

People who rub their hands together at the thought of another closure disgust me.

Yes it is quite emotional seeing kids get back their dance classes & sport etc and seeing their friends again at school. It's lovely.

We need to protect that, to reduce the chance of it all getting overwhelmed by another surge of infections & misery in the middle of winter.

@FfrothiCoffi

Last year we were told that teachers would be happy to work in schools once they were vaccinated. The goalposts keep changing.

So teachers refused to work in schools because they were unvaccinated? They were vaccinated to reopen schools?

That’s not what happened is it? Teachers worked in schools with large numbers of kids without masks, ventilation, distancing or vaccines.

Read the post again herecomesthesun.

I was responding to a teacher specifically talking about being asymptomatic, and the reason I support covid positive teachers who aren't actually ill staying off is because of the potential slippery slope towards forcing in those who are. It was an extremely silly interjection from getonwithit, which is likely why she chose not to pursue the matter further when she realised. You'd have done well to do the same.

Sorry it's getawaywithit not getonwithit.

So teachers refused to work in schools because they were unvaccinated? They were vaccinated to reopen schools?

I didn’t say that anywhere in that post. On here, many teachers were saying they’d be happy to teach full classes again when they were vaccinated. Obviously that had no bearing on actual policy and they had to be in schools (unhappily) regardless, but that’s what many were saying. Note I thought teachers should have been vaccinated ahead of their age cohort.
Now the goalposts seem to have changed.

So we have to take into account any new information like this as it becomes available

But they are still more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death that it was hoped they would be before they were rolled out.