When would hypothetically shut schools reopen?

[Leflic]

Ok so given lots of people want schools to shut because of the spread....what’s the criteria for reopening them?

No one? Because I reckon if the transmission and death rate is similar to now people will be asking why they are closed.
So, how long before they open if they were to shut next week say.

Exactly.

It is too early to close schools. It may come to that point but not yet because if they closed now, they could be closed for months. CV will not burn out or disappear in a fortnight.

Seriously one reply?

So many of you want them shut now. Fair enough. What will the senario be when you would be happy for them to reopen?

No new cases? A vaccine? No new deaths?

How would you expect anyone to know this if we don't know when (if!) they'll shut? No-one knows.

My sister is a deputy head and their school has started plans to shut 2 weeks before Easter and reopen after.

Rumour going round a couple of places in the Middle East is that schools will not reopen this academic year - they do have the added complication of Ramadan starting towards the end of April tho.

Not asking for an actual date.

The point is many people are insisting schools close to stop the spread. How dangerous it will be if we don’t. Lots of facts to back their arguement.

Not one has actually thought about when they consider it “ safe” to reopen them.

Isn't the idea just to delay the peak until the summer, but not so late it goes into autumn? I thought the aim of closing schools would be to slow down transmission rates. So closing schools/encouraging wfh for a month would move the peak closer to summer. But by May, there would be no point trying to delay it further.

I thought that was the argument, anyway.

The criteria after SARS was 28 days no new cases. However they also staggered opening so upper secondary (exam years) went back first then in rolling waves lower secondary, upper primary, lower primary and kindergarten.

Where I live in China schools have been closed since mid January at first they were closed for the spring festival holiday, but this was extended.
Dd’s School will have a staggered reopening starting with grade 11 and 12. There are rumours that may start on 24th March, but nothing confirmed. My city has not had any new cases for about 14 days.
School has confirmed that online learning will continue for 2 weeks after reopening as students have to be in the city for 14 days before they are allowed on campus.

I’m sure schools will follow government guidance at the time. Literally no one can give you the answers you’re requesting because it’s too early the assess the impact of this within the UK yet. It’s new ground, it’s not like we can compare this to anything else in recent years as mass lockdown didn’t occur

The UK will wait until the NHS is really struggling before they close schools and they will jump to everything non-essential is closed, so it will only be closed for a few weeks.

I should say that's just my theory

Looks like you are right Blackbear19

mnthrowaway202020 - not looking for an actual definitive answer. ( hint,there can’t be one). A discussion along similar lines to the many “schools must close‘ threads would be good.

Interesting to hear about your town ShanghaiDiva.Do you think we could go that long in the U.K.? What’s been the hardest bits?

Ireland’s schools and universities closed at 6 today. The putative reopening date is March 29th.

Nicola Sturgeon was clear this afternoon that when schools close, it will be for a period of months, not weeks.

"It is likely that schools will need to close but when they do they may not re-open for several months."

Op I'd say they pretty strongly ruled it out. They didn't even say they would. Only minimal reasons too.

They don't want dc out in the community event though they admitted, it's far more likely to spread in between colleagues and friends not in larger open spaces. Schools will limp on till the end

I read somewhere today it would be 13-16 weeks if the schools were to close.

My current thinking is they will stay open until Easter / Spring break. The Scottish exams are only two weeks after then, so May.
The English exams are June?

Depending on how the NHS is coping, they could go down the route of schools closing at Easter but not reopening other than for the Senior school years / exams.

My theory being the spreaders of diseases are the little kids, who's hygiene can be questionable, ie They don't wash hands properly, and are very touchy with each other.
Where the older kids should be more than capable of understanding they need to use tissues not sleeves, wash properly, not share drinks, or touch each other's food.

The government is going on the theory people need to build and immunity to it. And if you isolate everyone, it isn't going to disappear, so when isolation ends people will start spreading it again.

@FacingtheAbess

They only said it was not advantageous at this stage. Schools WILL be closing.

I reckon try and make it to the Easter holidays then have a prolonged closure after that.
In Scotland, Easter then 2 weeks closed then reopen only for exams then open for all would seem like a possible option, but obv Boone can predict how the virus will spread nod how NHS will cope.

Stormy I totally disagree.

They seem to have totally ruled it out.
They gave a few reasons why they wouldn't shut schools.
Then they mentioned why they wouldn't ask families to entirely self isolate or why the elderly shouldn't either.

But that at some point, whole family's will be asked to self isolate and so will the elderly.
They didn't say that about schools.

I don't think anyone should imagine schools will close at all.. We had email from the school asking us not to send any ill children in for whatever reason because teaches will be ill and they don't want added risks.

Schools won't close folks.

Let's hope the elderly teachers and that micro world around schools survives