To ignore BJ's COBRA advice to send kids to school whilst Rep of Ireland has closed schools for 2 weeks

[100percentSunshine]

Just interested to know how others feel....

We are all expecting the exponential growth of the Covid 19 to take place in the next 1- 2 weeks.

I was gobsmacked by today's news that following the COBRA meeting, BJ has resolved to keep schools open.

Is anyone considering keeping their child/ren off school despite government briefing?

Hearhoovesthinkzebras
I think you've got that arseways. Leaving it unchecked is going to ensure an immediate and imminent high peak.

Other countries are trying to flatten the peak. The UK is letting it loose.

I think schools in Ireland will stay closed for at least 5 weeks. Ireland is trying to delay and spread out the period over which the virus hits the hospital system.
The heath service are acquiring 10,000 isolation beds from the hotel sector which is suffering anyway plus and homeless services are acquiring beds as well.
Anyone who can work from home is working from home.
The largest bank in the country is giving paid leave to staff who have children if the other parent works in health care.
Sick pay is increased to €305 per week.

JeepersC

And what's going to happen when China, and other countries, lift their restrictions? When they re open their borders or allow citizens to get back to their normal lives? I've seen experts predicting that China will have a second wave when they lift these restrictions. As I said, there are going to be many lessons learned about how to deal with world wide pandemics.

A few provinces in China are clear of the virus. A few more are almost totally clear. For example, Anhui province - with a similar population and geographical size to the UK:

Around 1000 active cases at its peak
Deaths 6 (admittedly a tad under the Chinese national average, Hubei excepted)
Current cases 0 (ZERO)

Schools being touted to reopen there in the next couple of week.

Praising China isn’t cool, it’s pragmatic. Our response is non existent. There’s was, since, January, exemplary given the huge challenge and logistical difficulties of a continent sized nation and dozens of cities running into the millions.

The likes of Singapore, S.Korea, Taiwan are merely implementing the lessons painstakingly learned in mainland China. None of this “let’s just let a few thousand die” bullshit.

As I've posted in my thread, our school emailed yesterday to say they have decided to remain open, following government advice, despite having a direct link to a mum with confirmed Covid-19. The dad is now symptomatic and had been mixing in school at an event on Tuesday evening. The boy is asymptomatic and self isolating but was in school until mid week. It's very concerning, particularly for those pupils and staff in vulnerable health, or with vulnerable family members at home - not forgetting the wider community too.

Why is the British public so accepting of this level of inaction? This approach is needlessly endangering hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of lives. Other countries are working hard to prevent the virus spreading to a significant proportion of their population. The UK isn't even trying. Why aren't you angry about this? Do people actually grasp the seriousness of the situation?

People are angry and taking matters into their own hands.

I hope so Chrissie. I'm just flabbergasted by some of the posts I've seen on this site over the last few days.

Jeepers your hate for anything British shines through in your posts.

This ain't going away. Can you keep things shutdown until a vaccine is found?

Sakura I don't think many are underestimating the serious of this now. But can it be stopped? I think many still seem to think so. Our government don't.

I'm keeping older dd off from the Monday.. Even with both dh and I at work she can look after herself, feed herself etc.
I'm not having my dc used in this way as an experiment with a virus we know nothing about.

Brits are very obedient. They do what they're told.
They're being told to wash their hands, so they're doing that with such vigour, half of them now have weeping raw hands.
They're told not to worry, so they're not.
You can't control their penchant for stashing bog roll however. That's where they rebel. Utter renegades when it comes to toilet roll.

Don't ask me why they're willing to accept death. It's what they're told, so they will. Don't get it personally.

Until people see hospitals completely overrun with people dying on beds in corridors. Doctors and nurses exhausted.. Relatively younger people dying from this virus.. Maybe, just maybe people who think it's just cold or flu will begin to realise the bigger picture and that we all have some responsibility on others to do our bit and work together collectively. Take this more seriously. I've had no end of conversations where people are more bothered that there holiday is cancelled and its not fair they should still be given the choice to go.

I totally agree with the UK response, I understand the logic but they've been too extreme, Sir Patrick talks in extremes... Other countries have a more balanced approach, Skelton staff... He says... Closing all schools asking for 14 weeks of isolation is too much...

We don't have to have either extreme..

I agree with jeepers... They've let go..

Every press conference agrees with flattening peaks.

Brits are very obedient. They do what they're told

You are joking, aren't you?

Quoted from Guardian:

Hundreds of members of the scientific community have sent two open letters to the British government, voicing their concerns about the response to the coronavirus outbreak.

One comes from 198 academics in the field of maths and science, calling for urgent measures of social distancing across the UK.

It says: “Going for ‘herd immunity’ at this point does not seem a viable option, as this will put NHS at an even stronger level of stress, risking many more lives than necessary.”

I will be sending sn child in to his sn school. I just heard Arlene Foster say kids will be home from school soon and when it happens it will be for 16 weeks.

In UK many families have both parents working in order to pay the mortgage. If one parent has to stay home with kids they could fall behind with mortgage payments and if it goes on for months then they could have home repossessed especially if they are maxed out on credit cards or have a loan and cannot make payments. BJ is listening to experts and doing his best for us all.

People in other countries have mortgages too, that's not something unique to the UK. Here in Ireland the govt are working with the banks to put payment holidays in place for the duration of the crisis. I presume other countries are doing the same.

Caring, we are all in the same position?
Who doesn't have rent or a mortgage to pay?.
Only very few people totally own their own home.

BJ is listening to experts and doing his best for us all.

Aw, bless his little heart. Such a kind soul.

All of the other countries with current school closures have families in similar situations. The decision has not been made lightly by any means. If Boris puts financial supports for businesses, banks put in place Covid-19 payment breaks and state sickness benefits kick in earlier, as other counties such as Ireland has this will ease the burden a little.
The UK govt keep saying how they are trying to flatten the curve etc. exactly how are they doing this. My family in London have not changed their lives in any way at all. They are going to school, work, kids parties, after school clubs. Nothing has changed. I fail to see how inaction will change anything other than accelerate the spread and overwhelm the NHS.

A couple of days ago I would have said I was sending DS to school but not now. We are both high risk so will be staying in. It's not worth it.

I wonder what Ireland plan to do in say four weeks time? Is the plan to keep the whole of Ireland on lockdown for months?
Hearhooves

Yes. Why wouldn't this happen if circumstances require it?

why close schools but not pubs?

Because children are vectors who can be contagious even though not showing symptoms, to a far greater extent than adults can be, and isolating them at home is sensible.

It is assumed that adults will follow directions and do social distancing, and also self isolate if experiencing symptoms.

Some pubs have closed anyway, and there is growing disquiet about pubs flouting the numbers/gatherings rule, with pressure to close or at least comply with the rules.

Yes. Why wouldn't this happen if circumstances require it?

Hmm, I don't know. Maybe because of the economic meltdown having more prolonged and serious effects than the virus?

I love how some people are so certain that one government's approach is right and another's is wrong. No-one knows at this point, we're all stumbling along trying to make our way in the dark on this one.

No doubt the same people claiming they are right now will be all clever with hindsight after the virus has subsided.