Time to close the schools

[PaddyF0dder]

I can’t believe I’m saying this. I’m a dad to 3 very young boys. Our eldest is nearly 6 and is on the spectrum. Our twins are nearly 3. They’re hard work when they’re stuck in the house. I also work as a doctor in the NHS. Closing the schools would be a nightmare for us.

I think we need to do it, and do it early.

Watching how this virus is spreading, seeing how harmful it’s been in other countries, reading the stats on transmission, burned on healthcare etc... closing schools and nurseries really seems to be the most logical step.

The UK is at a turning point. We’re entering the stage of sustained transmission. We may already be too late. But we might still have time to enact draconian measures early as opposed to late. Closing school and nurseries. Limiting travel around the country. It seems inevitable that these things will happen, but doing it early might save the lives of the sick and vulnerable.

I honestly don’t know how my family will cope with it. We have absolutely no family support re childcare. We both work hard jobs in the NHS. I wish there was a better option. But the more I look at the facts of this outbreak, the more obvious it gets.

We need to reduce viral transmission. There are many ways, and all must be done. One such way is to close schools and nurseries. We need to do it now.

I think the children are safer at school and that the risk of transmission would be lower than if they were hanging out with their mates in public places

We people who can wfh should do so.

They should take children’s temperature while doing the register in the morning/ if I’ll, send home parents would probably have caught it anyway so they’ll also have to go home to self isolate.

Oldies should be avoided. I’ve had to cancel a visit to my mums at Easter as I’m not willing to risk her health.

We have had government advice to my school to state under no circumstances should heads close schools.

If in extreme circumstances they find it necessary the DFE will instruct to do so but it's unlikely this will happen

I work in a primary school where the HT is very blasé as are many staff. I’m the only one that washes my hands before lunch(not just since CV) and we have done vulnerable children and parents/grandparents at school. I’m also concerned for my DD who is in year 11 and still has content to cover and another DC at university living in a catered college.

Some not done

People who can do so will start pulling kids out anyway since school closures are only a couple of weeks away at the most.

I can't help but think if all schools are closed families will just head out to the shops, parks, swimming pools,cinema, etc so what's the point ?
I'm in Italy where schools are closed and cinemas, museums etc are closed as well. We have been to the park but nobody is kissing or standing too close to anyone else!

Personally, I think that stopping/restricting international travel should have been enforced ages ago. We are so reactive and not proactive sadly.

@CinnabarRed thats a good point about broadband capacity.

The last bad snow day we had i was working remotely from home and our system just couldnt cope with the number of stafd doing the same - many of us not delivering face to face care were asked to log off to allow those access to the system who were.

If they shut schools early then I hope they'll be allowing parents extra annual and parental leave to cover it. And ensuring employers don't penalise parents who need that extra time off.

@booboostwo sums up why just closing schools is ineffective.

I’m cancelling my planned trip abroad at Easter but others I speak to wouldn’t dream of it- there was a thread about it. Unless that stops I don’t think there is any point closing schools.

I can't help but think if all schools are closed families will just head out to the shops, parks, swimming pools,cinema, etc so what's the point ?

Stupid people maybe 🙄. I would stay home and only venture to the park to get out of the house.

If schools close people will still travel and do things, probably even more.

If schools close this will have a massive effect on NHS staffing levels.
Its noticable in the school holidays just with a proportion of staff taking allocated annual leave.
Wards are barely covering shifts now with 43,000 nursing vacancies now.
Also there is the issues of beds and critical care beds.
Its been at crisis point for years already

My workplace has wfh systems, but we did a disaster test and it couldn't cope capacity wise with everyone being remote. This is a big company who invests in tech

In Switzerland they are trying not to close schools because their thinking is that parents will ask Grandma to look after the kids and Grandma is at greater risk...

Schools shut in 3 weeks anyway. I think unless the infection numbers start to spike that's soon enough.
I understand that children are super spreaders because they will likely catch it but only have mild symptoms so you may not even realise they are ill and do think that closing down the schools will be a sensible step in future but I don't think we're there yet.

4 weeks until Easter break here!

In this day and age, wouldn't it be quite easy for children to work from home? They could be sent their work online.

There must be a way. I can work from home. So those of us who can work from home should be able to also manage a couple of extra children for those who can't.

This

In my group of friends, I'm on mat. leave and another parent is a teacher (so would be at home if schools closed). Between us, we'd look after the children of the others so they could go to work.

@lilgreen I hear you!

One colleague told me this will all have blown over by the start of the summer holidays. I don't think so, the way we're going. If drastic action doesn't happen now (which it won't) cironavirus will be a "thing" for a couple of years.

Italy has twenty cases two weeks ago.

Yes if it happened it would be a time to work together. I'm a SAHM and would happily have a couple of extra children to help parents

Who will closing the schools protect? It's a less serious condition in children and schools are now being very hot on hand washing and their parents can do the same. It seems to me that it will be protecting the teachers and other school staff more than the children.

The economic and social impact of closing the schools will be massive. I was reading the article of how northern Italy has closed museums, libraries and swimming pools etc and thinking that, while it's probably a good idea, the cost to mental health is going to be huge.

I can't help but think if all schools are closed families will just head out to the shops, parks, swimming pools,cinema, etc so what's the point ?
Yes but they won't all be penned up in small rooms and halls together.
There is logic behind it. The swine flu pandemic in 2009 is believed to have been less fatal than it could have been largely because it broke out just before the summer holidays and children weren't at school for 6 weeks.