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?

@Zaza1414 I am guessing you didn't post those figures as way less people die of flu every year. In some years as low as 600, up to 17k.

About 500,000 people die in England and Wales every year from all cauuses.

I’m thinking of doing this, only for one of my children. Asthmatic with an autoimmune condition that flares up with viruses etc

I’m asthmatic with an unrelated autoimmune condition for which I take immunosuppressants. Yet I’ll still be there standing in front of 150 different children a day (as usual) as their teacher until we’re told to close.

Not sure why your child is any different. They should be in school unless actually unwell.

www.thejournal.ie/defence-forces-standyby-5043276-Mar2020/

Irish Army and Gardai (police) are on standby to assist civil authorities if needed. Armed forces personnel are ordered to report to barracks and plans for civil assistance that have been in place as a matter of course and being taken down and dusted off.

(And public facilities are shut as well as schools in Ireland).

I’d love them to drop the fines/penalties for parents keeping their children off school, so long as those parents sign up to some kind of assurance that they won’t turn around and blame the school for their results. It would reduce the numbers in schools to a more manageable level while keeping them open for those who need or want their children to be there. Win win!

Macron mjight be closing schools but said no need to close borders as the virus doesnt have a passport-whatever that means

I am starting to worry about how I will manage if schools close, I work in the nhs and would need to be home as have just had guidelines from my childminder stating if schools close she won’t be able to have any children other than her own so that’s me stuffed, DH won’t get the time off as he is a structural engineer and can’t take extra holidays and doesn’t get parental leave aside from being a higher earner than me. I could use my parental leave days of which I get 5 days but after that? Probably have to be unpaid leave

I'm considering it tbh. I would if they were younger, and 1 wasn't doing A Levels this year.

All you have to do now is say they've got a cough or a temperature, and you're isolating on Boris's advice.

You can't see a doctor, or call 111 for mild symptoms now - Boris's orders. You just have to isolate for at least 7 days.

Random18 Thu 12-Mar-20 20:46:17

Being a Medical Dr doesn't make you an expert in pandemics..........

I am not saying he is wrong btw but he may ot be an expert in this area

I didn't say he was an epidemiologist.

What I am suggesting is that he is far better qualified than Boris Johnson with his BA in Utter Piffle is to understand what is happening and to discern the right response.

Honestly, comments like yours would be a laughing matter if this was a hypothetical situation. But it's not, and they're not.

And if you think Varadkar hasn't had advice from epidemiologists, you are wrong there too.

I honestly think our government is thinking that this will go away miraculously in june. When the weather gets hotter. But theres no evidence to suggest hot weather kills the virus. So it's a gamble. If thats the case why are places like hong kong, singapore still seeing daily cases abeit fewer in singular figures . But that's due to them now going through a phase of stablity having used drastic measures to control it at the offset. I feel that in about 13 days time we will still be heading the same way as Italy. And eventually having to do a wuhan style lockdown because our NHS will not be able to cope with the very sick in huge numbers... we are delaying the inevitable of closing schools and shops sooner or later.

math BJ is being advised by experts just like Varadkar.
Neither is qualified I am sure. Varadkar may just be a bit more use if someone actually takes not well.

So I really don't get your point.

0007 I completely disagree

Our govt do not think it is going away and that's why they are making the decisions they are making.

I’m just confused as to why Ireland, Poland, Austria and Denmark have and we aren’t. What’s special about uk?

France too!

I honestly think our government is thinking that this will go away miraculously in june

How can you think that? Did you not see the press conference? They specifically and extensively stated it’s up to fourteen weeks before the peak, which takes us to July, then we have the same climb down, as per the graphs they showed, as it declines, so that takes us to into early oct.

They presented today peak in June and close of by sept. They absolutely don’t think it’s going away by June. They don’t even think it will have peaked by then.

What they think is they can’t stop it.

I don't think there's anything special about the UK. I think they're just taking a more long term view.

What will be the effects of Ireland closing down all schools, universities and nurseries for an extended period of time? How will parents manage financially if they can't work for a long time? What will be the consequences of essential workers missing work through childcare issues?

I can understand it if the evidence was shut down for two weeks and this will be over but that won't happen will it? Is Ireland going to stop people coming in from overseas for example?

So who is advising those countries? Do they not have access to scientists and experts?

Every bus, shopping mall, soft play, McDonald's, cinema and cafe would be filled with children , infecting every other person within coughing distance as they come into contact with far more people than they would normally come into contact with on a normal day at school.

No they would just be at home watching Netflix, face timimg and making tik toks

And doing the school work they have been set.

During the swine flu the schools shut and it dropped while kids met up.
Also outside is safer than being inside for transfer.

bluntness so the plan is to let it peak... how many people have to be infected for peak to arrive. 20,000+ maybe. How many people will be actually be critically ill by the time we peak. would the NHS be able to cope.. many of them will probably be also sick... I'm sorry but I'm pessimistic I have relatives in china and a hong kong native.. my DS is currently at UK uni... we have had experience of what panicking and seeing what was happening across the borders right back in december with what was going on in wuhan and the hostpitals.

No

OP YANBU if you think that is best for your family. I won't be taking mine out unless I have to because that is what is best for my family. Everyone has to do what is right for them.

No, however, I will be keeping them away from crowded places and vulnerable relatives.

Anyone taking their kids out of school right now are crazy. They’ll be off for months potentially. Bet they don’t keep them in the house that long though...

@0007floosie the whole point of what's being planned is to try to manage the spread so that there's a gradual increase and decline in cases so that the NHS has best chance of coping.

You are all insane. Sending kids to school is basically ensuring the whole population gets it. The Irish government has sent a strong message that it is not business as usual and people will I’m sure take the hint and limit their trips outside in all aspects - gyms, concerts, sports events have already stopped. It can be contained and number can drop. Look at China. Look at Singapore. Look at S.Korea. The British way is a recipe for disaster.