DCs school has coronavirus and they’re not shutting the school!?

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My DCs school has had a confirmed case of coronavirus. One of their teachers who has been in school and has taught both DC this week!!!
School isn’t shutting! The DCs have been given information about the virus and symptoms to look out for.
This is really scaring me! Any of those DCs and other teachers could have it. Any of them could have gone home and passed it onto parents/grandparents/people who go to the same clubs in the community! I know it doesn’t really affect children as much as adults but doesn’t mean they can’t be carriers. We’re not exactly talking young children either. Both my DCs are teenagers.

Debating keeping the DC off school for the next 2 weeks? Am I overreacting!?

I'd be keeping mine off school if I could manage the childcare for them In that situation

I've taken mine out of school this week, it's clear we're not going to shut things down in this country until it's too late to stop the spread, we will be where Italy is in 2 weeks.

I'd keep them off now.

I thought you were supposed to self isolate if you’ve been in contact with someone with Coronavirus - aren’t they the government guidelines? Also shouldn’t the school be doing a deep clean?

I’d keep mine off for 2 weeks. Have you spoken to other parents, what are they doing?

Might be worth contacting PHE - see what they say.

If they haven’t closed for a deep clean would keep him off school defiantly.

Personally I think strong measures should be taken, shutting down schools etc.
It's the only way this will be controlled quickly.

No we’re definitely not trying to stop the spread here are we? We’re going to be Italy the 2nd by the end of the week!

Yes. I probably will keep them off, others aren’t and are saying im worrying too much. But DC1 has an auto immune condition so that’s giving me the extra worry.

I think there’s some “keep calm and carry on” mentality going on which I think it totally wrong. We’re not containing the virus, we’re actively encouraging it to spread.

I would ring the health help line to get advise.

What happens in terms of schools allowing people to self isolate?

My kids schools really strict with time off and issuing fines and shit

The DFE advisory info our school was sent said a school would not normally be closed in an instance like this, so it will be their decision not the school's.

Why are people keeping kids off if there’s been no contact with the virus? You could keep them off for a week or two send them
back and still get it, it’s nonsense.

We're just moving this over to the right topic now.

I would ask more questions about the teacher, the children concerned, when they were exposed and when it was known, before making a decision. 2 weeks is a long time to be off school. There is a big difference between a teacher who developed coronavirus from eg going to Italy this weekend and who taught children last week, and a teacher who has been teaching whilst symptomatic. Plus it will - in all likelihood - shortly be all around us. I think it possible that shutting schools when it begins an upward rapid trajectory may or may not be a better way of spreading the demand on the NHS and pushing us all further towards the summer - who knows, but we can’t be armchair experts and we have to trust (whilst sensibly holding to account) the chief medical officer and political decisions made, balancing risk to our children’s education especially those in exam years, against risk of serious harm and death to our elderly and our sick, against short term harm to our economy. If 2 weeks became 6 weeks becomes 8 weeks many restaurants, cafes, small businesses could go bust for example, I suspect. And whilst doing all that I’d wash my hands at least twice!!!

Are you sure they have it?

It was a public health England decision. They said the school had no reason to close because it was minimal risk. Still scares me though.

I have no idea how school would react to self-isolation. I’ll probably get a fine or something. They are crazily strict on attendance.

Ringing for advice is a good idea. I think I’m panicking because of DC1s condition. It seems to be people with underlying conditions that are affected the worst so if any of us get it DC1 will be seriously affected. I mean DC1 is nearly an adult and is keeping track of everything going on so I can’t exaclty say, oh children don’t get it, you will be fine. DC1 knows exactly what’s going on having spent their entire life trying to avoid even a cold because it can turn into something nasty or last for a month. This coronavirus is a totally different level.

I've kept mine off I have asthma.
I got a call from HT today. Was about some event tomorrow though so I just said I didn't think they would be in.
Pretty sure they know why.
But anyway other dc has had a fever etc and I didn't feel well either so makes sense anyway.

I've done a petition to let people keep them off without a fine.
I need 5 email addresses though to make petition live so if anyone wants to sign it then pm me

I'm sure given the situation and your Dcs underlying condition they should be understanding of 2 week absence.

Also they are saying peak in 2w so surely most caught it last week or even straight after half term.
But any from italy could be in a bad state by then as this is week 3-4 for them already and that when they start getting worse.
But also most in Italy were school trips so largely asymptomatic spreading....
Whereas they've now spread it to classmates and teachers and to their parents

Half an hour ago your local secondary school was confirmed coronavirus infected but the school isn’t closing tomorrow?

Are you able to tell us which school or town this was so that we can make our own decision on whether to send our children in or not?

I'd keep mine off

I think anyone who can take their kids out should do so now. The government won't close them because workers need childcare.
I don't see the point in them being virus fodder for the country, if they don't have to be.

Given your dcs condition I'd def be keeping him off whilst opening a dialogue with school about if they're doing a deep clean etc

Tories are hoping the virus will kill off a huge amount of the vulnerable and elderly - don’t wait on their advice before you act. Use your own initiative

This is shocking, I would not be sending my children to this school and yes, it should be shut down.

I work in a school (not a teacher) and I can't believe how the advice is currently not to shut down schools. My own suspicion is that the authorities are scared to shut schools because of the economic impact it would have and are trying to drag it out until everyone is on Easter holidays anyway, in the hope it might go away during that time....

Stupid idea, and it won't work if we get to a situation like Italy is in now....

That sounds really weird that a teacher in the school has it and has been in school with it, but they are saying there is 'minimal risk'? I would have thought it was pretty high risk?!