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Original poster

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

301 replies

ChristmasFlint · 04/03/2020 18:57

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

OP posts:
peachgreen · 04/03/2020 21:30

I can WFH but DD is a toddler so I don't see how I'd get much work done. I'd have to do half days with DH I think. Nightmare.

Francina670 · 04/03/2020 21:33

I could possibly work from home although it would be a nightmare with my kids around.

Dp could work from home easily and is the main wage earner. My concern is that he works for a small company and if their sales team isn’t on the road selling the product will the business just end up folding. Can’t imagine the employment market will be very buoyant if this escalates.

Aesopfable · 04/03/2020 21:36

Pointless in my view, especially if all these children will be meeting up for childcare.

OneTimePrepper · 04/03/2020 21:39

Its a bloody difficult decision.
Go into lockdown in the worst affected areas and reduce the spread but people cant afford to live or stay as we are and the NHS will evenually be unable to cope. I cant even start to formulate the answer.

Kahlua4me · 04/03/2020 21:39

My dc are teenagers and I already work from home so we would be fine, except DS would be climbing the walls if he wasn’t allowed to go outside...

JustInCaseCakeHappens · 04/03/2020 21:40

we would join forces with 1 or 2 friends, so all the kids are together all week, and we swap them around - meaning each adult would only need to be home (less than) 1 day a week.

That would work. What else are we supposed to do?
I imagine most people would do similar.

theSnuffster · 04/03/2020 21:40

I work in a nursery, if schools close nurseries are likely to follow so no problem with childcare. No idea how we'll pay the bills though!

Ozziewozzie · 04/03/2020 21:44

But surely closing schools won’t help that much as everyone can’t be expected to remain at home indefinitely. We’d all be karting our children around shops, each other’s homes, days out etc. We’d all still be pretty exposed.

WillowSummerSloth · 04/03/2020 21:46

I'm a GP and DH a hosp consultant. If schools close, not really sure what we would do. I work with 4 other GPs who all have school aged children. We'd have to alternate time off I suppose as not many other options. Would result in significantly reduced GP appointments at our practice though. I actually have no idea and am hoping it doesn't happen!

Darkbendis · 04/03/2020 21:48

Not easy, but doable. DH can work from home if necessary, I can do some work from home too, even though that won't pay too well. On short term, we should be able to manage.

CaptainJamesTKirk · 04/03/2020 21:52

@WillowSummerSloth
Looks like you may have to do some urgent contingency planning with your practice manager just in case. And prepare for doing some telephone consults. Have NHS England not supplied your with any guidance?

weegiemum · 04/03/2020 21:52

I'm full time at home and dc are all upper teens/20 so no issues.

Dh is a GP so even if he catches it is likely to have to work call handling his practice, and I suppose I'm worried he'll catch it and pass it on to the rest of us. Dd1 is at uni but in the same city so would come home if she needs looking after.

NormaLouiseBates · 04/03/2020 21:57

2 months? Where's that come from? Does anyone have a source?

LlamaofDrama · 04/03/2020 21:57

DH and I can both wfh, I work for a university so might be sent home anyway! And my boss has been prepping for a couple of weeks, so I can't see him being tricky. But DD is torn between wanting school closed for the excitement and not wanting to miss it. I've told her it's very unlikely to be for any longer than it would take to deep clean.

In principle I'm happy to mind anyone's kids, but it does occur to me that if the point of isolation is to isolate then bringing in other kids wouldn't really work...

Letseatgrandma · 04/03/2020 21:57

Also surprised at how many who work in schools wouldn't be expecting to provide a level of work remotely

If at all possible, I would provide work remotely. I teach reception though; I’m not sure what that would look like?

Similarly, would eg GPs who couldn’t work because they were home with their kids, be expected to do email or phone consults?

GreyCloudsandSunshine · 04/03/2020 21:58

Single parent here. I'd manage as my work would close but I wouldn't be paid so I'd have to beg/borrow money from my mum/aunts/ExH uin order to feed us as I live week - to - week due to payments. If the shops go into lockdown to I'm screwed as I only ever have enough food to last 2-3 days. I can't stockpile I don't have space.

My main concern would be DD falling behind at school as her school have no online platforms for learning (infants school).

Anise7438 · 04/03/2020 22:00

Screwed.

WillowSummerSloth · 04/03/2020 22:02

captainjamesTKirk
There's been so little info. I've found out most of what I know from BBC news. I found out today we will get sent some protective equipment next week - aprons and masks. I don't know what we can do as a contingency really. I have 3 kids so even phone consultations from home would be hard. I thought of employing a tutor but that would be at least £100 a day I guess which is unaffordable for me. And I guess if our admin staff and nurses are off, we would struggle to stay open. We have a staff meeting tomorrow and I will raise it then but not sure the partners will know. There's been no official guidance about staying open or what to do in this situation. I'm terrified of contracting and feel little is being done to help protect front line workers.

CaptainJamesTKirk · 04/03/2020 22:06

@WillowSummerSloth
It is rubbish they’re not providing you with guidance, and that you haven’t had any Poe sent yet.

MintyMabel · 04/03/2020 22:06

We can both work from home so it would be fine, we”d split it between us.

DD would be devastated not to be able to go to school though. She’s in P6 so her education wouldn’t suffer but that would be the least of her worries.

CaptainJamesTKirk · 04/03/2020 22:07

PPE sorry

MintyMabel · 04/03/2020 22:09

we would join forces with 1 or 2 friends, so all the kids are together all week, and we swap them around - meaning each adult would only need to be home (less than) 1 day a week.

This is what we did with the teachers strikes back in the 80s.

OneTimePrepper · 04/03/2020 22:18

I think we might soon see people keep their kids out of school in affected areas if they are able to.

Springinsight · 04/03/2020 22:19

I would be extremely relieved and happy. I work in education and feel exposed everyday.
I would then be able to be at home for the dc and pull them out when necessary. I don't trust dc school at all.

I think they should do everything possible to delay this until late spring summer.

MajesticWhine · 04/03/2020 22:21

I don't think I can work from home. I work for NHS (mental health, not physical), but I can't access our system from home without a specific NHS issue laptop and we only have a handful of those for our entire department.
DH can probably work mostly from home, so it will be down to him.