To ask when you think all schools will shut

[Helpmechangemymindsetplease]

Due to the corona virus.

Have been talking to a relative and am more worried than I was. Have three dc, one of whom gets ill at the drop of a hat.

Facts emerging from Italy are not great, so why aren’t we in complete shut down now? What is the government waiting for?

The psychology is interesting. 2 weeks ago if the government had suggested shutting schools, there would have been public outrage. Now lots of people want it. We’ve reached a tipping point where there is public will for action (alongside those who still don’t give a shit). In another week, the balance will have tipped further.

I'm torn on this one, but that's partly due to GCSEs and A-Levels. I hope we can move towards Easter. I have one child who would be impacted by the exams and another with asthma.
I also work in an educational setting.

However, I am concerned that schools with confirmed cases remain open.

Surely our biggest immediate 'threat' is flights in and out and the fact travellers aren't being checked, along with millions of commuters, including on the Underground. Large scale events too. There doesn't seem to be as much focus on stopping those.

@middleager I agree. People are still flying here from Italy unchecked. Many of the cases that have been brought here are people who have travelled back from Italy. I think tackling that should be a priority first rather than closing schools. It's easy to tell people to self isolate but it's not easy to actually get people to do it.

WaxinwaxoffO has a valid point. My DH is flying off to Singapore later this week. It’s work. They are still going ahead. What would be the point of self isolating my DS in an area with no known cases whilst DH meets all and sundry halfway round the world.

My DH is flying off to Singapore later this week.

A number of big companies have banned travel between sites and international travel for the time being in order the limit the spread of the disease. I certainly wouldn't fancy being on a big plane now. Meetings can take place online. (Perhaps the knock on effect of this will be less international travel for work in general.)

Re closing schools, I agree with a pp - There is no way the majority of people will self-isolate. They'll need to pop to the supermarket, or the kids will need to go to the park, or 'this night out has been planned for ages', etc. After all, the thread on cancelling holidays has loads of people still planning on taking their Easter holidays (here or abroad) which, one would imagine, will hasten the spread significantly.

I agree that travel to those places needs to stop. I’ve cancelled my Easter break. It’s not to one of those places but Europe. I don’t want to travel, I don’t want my enjoyment curtailed, attractions closed when I get there etc so I’d rather go another time.

I do think that much reduced contact will help to slow spread. Even if you pop to the park , whizz round the supermarket with gloves and a mask etc, is not the same as sharing close office space or classrooms with lots of others. It’s not about containment now but delay.

I anticipate schools will close as normal for the Easter break .

A couple of local schools are closing early this week to run through the technology etc in preparation for if schools close to make sure they have plans for gcse and a level students to receive work.

Whether that's an indication of expecting it now rather that it can be a possibility I don't know.

The thing is, if they bring in this 'you must self isolate even if you have very mild symptoms' rule, I can't see how schools will be able to stay open because they will be so short staffed it won't be safe. Unless a lot of children stay home as well.

School, like most workplaces, run on staff coming into work unless they pretty much can't get out of bed. During the winter, most staff aren't 100% a lot of the time.

I think it most definitely will happen but not yet. When? I don't know - a couple of months? The government plan is to push the peak back until summer to limit pressure on NHS (less people ill in summer) and this would also reduce school closures, if it coincides with summer hols.

"I think lost earnings should be compensated for by the government"

The government would have to put something in place so people didn't starve but there's no way they could fully compensate for lost earnings. Whatever happens, the cost to the country will be so huge the economic fallout will be felt for years.

I hope a decision is made soon. I'm a teacher with A level and GCSE students but the uncertainty is upsetting the kids. Plus, we have staff off sick and at least 3 or 4 missing from each class, most with colds, flu, fever. I know 3 staff who have the flu despite a flu jab, so we are all a bit suspicious, but no one can be tested as they haven't travelled.

I think this is much bigger than we realise and I am worried for my own children as well.

but can't you see this is about society as a whole not individuals? but society is made up of individuals.

As unpalatable as it sounds there does need to be a balance between those who may have detrimental effects from the virus and society and the economy as a whole.

People blithely talk about how the government is putting the economy first, but if the economy goes into free fall there will be deaths, the suicide rate alone will likely rise and the poverty rate will increase.

I’ve said this elsewhere and interestingly no-one has commented. But when Brexit was being talked about on here and what a disaster it was going to be, people were saying that the economy was going to suffer, that we were going to feel the effects of this for years, that there would be deaths etc etc, and that was the unknown.

But this will have a serious impact on the economy if we go into lockdown and now people are downplaying the impact on the economy. How does that work then?

The thing is that lots of comments here are saying people want action, people want the schools closed, people want social distancing, etc.

It's a different story elsewhere. Comme ts section on the regional newspaper is overwhelmingly full of people saying that the level of hysteria is "pathetic", comparing it to previous pandemics such as swine flu and reminding everyone we got through that without mass closures, and jokes about stockpiling. Chat amongst parents in the school yard paints a similar picture. Ditto chat in the local co-op, hairdressers, and cafe. People are sick of hearing about it and many of them are if the view that if its coming for you, then it's coming for you, just remember to wash your hands and get on with your day to day.

This is why PPs have made a very valid point about the government having to time things like school closures carefully (that's if closures have to be made which, personally, I don't think they will)

Exactly @AlternativePerspective

The government’s own plan says that any measures need to be balanced with the wider cost to society. It’s not realistic to screw the lives of 60 million people to save the lives of a few thousand people.

Don’t forget the kids on free school meals. In the holidays there are places that offer lunches, there’s a massive push to stock up food banks for the summer etc.

How will they be fed if schools close?

It will effect me financially, I’m a single parent, I work self employed in health care (mental health), if I can’t work then I have no income. It is a worry but I do feel there should be a shit down earlier rather than later. If it’s left too late it could last longer and effect exams. If we can slow this down now (before Easter) then hopefully exams can go ahead and hopefully people can travel by the summer.

People need to remember to carry on donating to food banks (whilst they are out panic buying toilet rolls), people need to still have access to food banks because kids won’t be getting free school meals of schools close.

My Yr11 pupils are in freefall. Some just worried and in a panic, some who are saying things like 'theres no point in doing this (their work) coz the school will shut anyway and we can blame corona'. I feel really worried about the impact on pupils. Staff are scared - of the virus and also of closing the school and missing time. I'm a head of year and one of my pupils is in the midst of a family tragedy and school is her only solace. Shes been my little shadow and the thought of her having her only 'normal' taken away breaks my heart. I'm going to drink wine and its only Tuesday.

Also... what is the justification for not testing people, in the UK? Interested.

Lovemusic

it's such a worry for the self employed, we will probably lose our business for the duration. The announcement about mortgage holidays was a relief.

Now I know there's been a run on toilet roll but proposing "shit down" have you thought this through

I agree with those saying the government will get us as close to the easter holidays as possible before closing schools. It makes sense.

I could easily do the vast majority of my work from home, so I suppose that's what I'd do.

I think when (not if) they close the schools they will allow secondary schools to remain partially open for year 11 and 13 for exams. A lot of the staff will still need to come in anyway to keep things ticking over.

A lot of the staff will still need to come in anyway to keep things ticking over.

Unless the staff are childcare, only have older kids or only have Y11 & 13 kids they’ll have to be at home minding their kids so won’t be able to go in to keep things ticking over

The staff children will be coming in to my school, and I'm guessing other schools will be similar.