Italy closes all their schools and universities: how will you cope if we follow?

[ChristmasFlint]

I can work from home but not everyone can. It made me wonder how on earth people with sort childcare?

DH's company banned international travel several weeks ago and closed some London offices this week. They are putting together plans for all employees to work from home.

I work in a school, so won't have to go to work.

How we could all stay in one house with a very energetic 8 year old without murdering each other is another thing.

I’m self employed and work part time so won’t qualify for sick pay. Both DD’s have sn’s, I have no child care. I will cope without money for a couple weeks if I have too but things will be tight.

DS is meant to be handing in his Dissertation at the end of the month.

Combine this with with the Lecturers striking multiple days in March I am so anxious on his behalf-he is trying to just get on with it but it is a hugely stressful thing to be dealing with on top of actually doing the work and preparing for Final exams

As a nursery nurse, we have been told that we will not be paid if there are closures (parents will be billed as normal).
Our cleaning order arrived today without the hand sanitizer we use at the entrance to all rooms as the supplier had none.
Today 3 children sneezed in my face and another unexpectedly licked my cheek.
I'm screwed!

I can easily WFH, DH can too really. I have a plan of starting work at 7, doing 4 hours while DCs (6&9) have breakfast and amuse themselves, 3 hour break (11-2) to play with/exercise DC, back to work at 2 for 3.5 hours.

DH is retired, I can work from home. However we have DC taking GCSEs and A levels this year, so exam disruption is my main concern, along with the vulnerability of elderly relatives.

I can wfh so that's sorted.

Two friends in NHS, both with young teens, theoretically old enough to be on their own but I've offered to pop in/have them over even if I just pick them up and feed them if they don't want all day. I know if it was the other way round I'd hope someone would check on mine.

I hope it's ok to ask on this thread, but how likely do you think this scenario is?

I'm see-sawing between thinking it won't get to the point of school/uni closures and thinking that it's imminent considering the jump in uk cases from yesterday.

As for what I'll do if it does happen. I'm a ft uni student so I suppose I'd be home with ds but I'd be worried. I have exams coming up!

Re kids I’ve got one mid GCSEs and one in yr6. But I am at home working for our business.

However if DH cannot get out and work (tradesman) there will be no business and no money. It depends if customers still want people to enter their homes if not absolutely necessary.

I’ve got a few other bits of work coming in that I do freelance for other companies in the upcoming months and that’s from home, but it won’t be much .

I can WFH. However, with 2 primary aged DC I'm not sure how much work I'd actually get done as they would need looking after and helping with any assigned schoolwork. So... I'm not sure what I'd do.

I'm a teacher, and my own kids are grown, so little impact if schools are closed. Would be happy to do as much as is possible remotely, but as I said above, we're not really set up for setting online work for the kids, beyond a maths scheme.
I would use some of the time to streamline all my online resources, and update plans and so forth, along with blitzing my house, assuming I'm not flat out in bed ill myself.

If this had been happening when I was a teen then I would have been babysitting my younger sibling (10 year gap). I can imagine we would see more of a return to teen babysitters so parents can work, and SAHP taking in friends' children.

@everythingcrossed that’s what I don’t understand, either.
If so many people are going to have to share childcare between one another, won’t they be potentially sharing the disease about too?
Also, many people don’t have family nearby to help out. If families had to travel up and down the country to help out with childcare, more spread.
Plus a lot of people who might rely on older grandparents to grlp, won’t be able to, due to increased risk to the older population.
I def wouldn’t ask my 70 year old parents to grip out - one with high blood pressure and numerous health issues, and the other with COPD. Plus, they live 4 hours away.

I'd be great. I work in a school!

I would feel for ds though as he's another due to sit GCSEs.

I guess realistically those of us qualified to work with children could help out childminders if they could continue to work and provide care for healthcare providers?

I'd happily have kids for day to help people.

Ahh 2 months- SHIT!

RoryGillmoresEvilTwin
I know what you mean. I flit between nah it won’t get to that, to thinking well it’s jumped from 51 cases to 82 today so of course I could happen.

We could possibly scrape by, will have to cancel a few direct debits, sky and gym memberships will have to go, and we would have to dramatically cut our food bill. But we wouldn’t starve. Some families could end up facing that harsh reality though.

I'd be buggered because I'm a supply teacher and don't get paid if I don't work. We can't afford to lose my wage.

The sooner they close the schools the better. My youngest is in the "at risk" category, so the sooner the better.

We can both wfh.

Oldest takes GCSES this year, but I think he has about 1 million CPG guides & they are done with the curriculum & focussing on revision now, so hopefully he could get on with that.

Youngest is year 5 & struggling academically, so I have a tonne of stuff for him, too.

My year 9 would love it. I’m sure they would set some work, but my guess is the school’s focus would be on year 11 for online work & resources.

I'm in Italy and a teacher. Sadly one who only gets paid for contact hours so I just lost 10 days wages.
The teachers on our school group chat are by and large going ballistic at the very idea they may be expected to turn in their computers and provide online teaching of some kind and are having the decree analysed by the briefs and running to the unions.
The kids meanwhile are organising impromptu parties, nights out etc. Little kids will be left with aged grandparents if their parents work. (Spot the flaw with that one)
Closing the schools to shut down the virus would only ever have worked if there were some kind of martial law imposed checking that people then stayed at home. Facebook wiseguys are commenting about the fact the virus clearly is only active until 1pm when kids come out of school.

I’m a nanny and the family I work for would happily accept my children coming with me

The bigger issue is that my 15 year old is due to do his GCSEs shortly

Lulu I'm an HLTA. I've always been paid for any days the school chooses to close. Because we are available for work. I get paid a salary.

I will be unemployed. My main job is chef at a residential activity centre. If the school trips get cancelled i will have no work. Im very very worried at the moment as this is already having a huge effect on the hospitality business.

There is zero to be gained from closing schools unless there is a confirmed case in that school. In this instance they should send everyone home immediately, test them all, deep clean the school, then allow the clear ones to return.

Closing all schools would be literally pointless

I’d be fine for a bit but DD (4) would be climbing the walls if she couldn’t go to nursery.

BUT my dad is in his 80s and I really worry about him getting sick. Anything to help halt the spread of the disease must be done. We have a possible 8 vulnerable family members and it is really starting to worry me.