Who is keeping their kids home from school from Monday?

[alloutoffucks]

I am. I am at real risk if I catch this. I am not locking my kids in the house. But it will mean they see a small number of kids rather than the hundreds they do in school.
And yes I will be keeping them away from clubs or any large gatherings as well.
Anyone else?

@idontlike789 I know 50 is not old. But the mortality rate starts to rise for those 50 plus.
I already said I will be working from home, so yes I will be at home. I am very vulnerable to this virus because of a rare health problem. So I will be largely avoiding people where I can. We will drive out and go for walks in quiet countryside. It is not how I want to live. But it means I can get outside and get some exercise, while keeping myself as safe as I can.
I know there is still some risk there from kids friends and DP working - although not with many people. But it is about limiting risk, while still being sustainable for months and months. Both DP and I are low paid, so it is not possible for him just not to work and his work cannot be done from home.

I would have been interested to know though how many kids there will be in their classes on Monday. Because I suspect others will also have withdrawn kids.

I would like to, but dd1 is year 10 and she REALLY doesn’t want to stay off. Neither of them do, but year10 has got more of a point

G/ daughter age 11 has been home for 2 weeks now, is high risk due to various health issues. She had a cold last week which this often in its self can often results in pneumonia, daughter has not sent her back and made it clear she will not be doing so at present despite school saying they have no cause for concern as no identified infected persons.

She has EHCP in situ to support her to catch up at school due her absences through the years, they have never provided any home work when she is recovering at home though.

We requested that they provide school work now saying that she needs to have this support , they have sent quiet a bit of work for next week and put her down as authorised absence for the last 2 weeks ( mum has been accessing other stuff in line herself). We also mentioned that we will be requesting a review of her ECHP in near future.

In relation to Summer exams they also advised under Examination heading the following
Should official advise change around school closure And this is likely given developments nationally and internationally, the school has a system in place to support student learning online.
This will include bringing forward a new online system they were going to originally going to launch After Easter.

Meant to say has a EHCP !

We have 6 D.C ranging from 4-15. We home ed anyway and have done for years but we have decided all groups/meetups will be off next week. DH is more vulnerable to infection than normal and I have no intention of putting him in hospital or worse just so that my kids can do karate or whatever.

People who have withdrawn their kids my advice is don’t try and replicate school at home - it will crash and burn after a week.

I don't have any faith in the UK govt's plan. Experts around the world are shocked by it. It's been called dangerous. Other countries who are further along in this nightmare are telling the UK to do more and to do it now.

I think BJ is just desperate not to shut down the financial and service industries. If it's mostly old people who will die then that serves him ok because their pensions are costing the country money.

I know I sound extremely cynical but I can't see why else he'd react this way.

Business as usual here. Everyone still in school on Friday. We both have to work so no choice really.

In Ireland today was our first day of school closures . It was the weirdest most unsettling day. Trying to establish a new routine with the kids . Helping them with the work the teachers had sent on and reassuring them .
They have very limited contact with friends . Thank God for our digital age, they can facetime etc .
We got out for some fresh air but it's the strangest feeling ever .
I know the kids are unsettled by it all. No one knows how long schools will actually be closed for. It's at least until March 29th, but I presume it will be much longer than that .
I'm glad schools are closed but I think more needs to be done.
I think airports need to shut down and curfews put in place .
We are an island, like the UK , and this can be halted with extreme but necessary actions.
Our economy will crash under the pressure, short term but lives will be saved .
Such challenging times for us, we should all pull together. Mind ourselves, our families and our neighbours .

If I was in the UK , I would pull my kids from school on Monday, its only a matter of ime before schools will close anyway .
We need to protect our elderly and those who are at risk of serious illness from this virus.
We do not want our older generation or our vulnerable people wiped out by this .
It is all our responsibility to protect them
Stay strong, stay safe .

I’m another one considering it. Half of me feels like it would be an overreaction but the other half thinks fuck it, I can so I will.

I’m scared.

I don't have any faith in the UK govt's plan. Experts around the world are shocked by it. It's been called dangerous. Other countries who are further along in this nightmare are telling the UK to do more and to do it now.

Where are you reading this? In foreign newspapers?

The WHO are pleading with governments to do more and to do it immediately.
Look at Italy, and Spain is catching up fast .
This virus needs to be faced head on. Drastic measures need to be taken. Too many lives lost already .
Why are we not learning from other countries that have lost the battle against Covid -19 .
Our health systems cannot cope with this .
ICU beds will be available on a lottery basis if things get worse.
The curve needs to be flattened . The delay phase needs to be implemented. We cannot overwhelm our health system or more lives will be lost .

I'm thinking about it but I'm a teacher at another school. Youngest has a bit of a cold and asthma so I'm very cautious....
I'm almost certainly from something said at work that no council will try to fine parents who take kids out during a never seen before pandemic!

I haven’t had chance to RTFT. But SURELY any fines would not be issued / enforceable now the situation is as it is.

Do what’s best for your children and your household / immediate family. I don’t have kids but if I did I would seriously contemplate keeping them home now.

Thanks for the links @GrainOfSalt

*We won't get fined. I informed school they have cough/mild fever (true) and they will be isolated as per Boris.

11 year old is doing his SATS books. 9 year old will have something to do online from school. They will video call friends and family.

We work from home and are going nowhere. We will assess the situation going forwards and do what is best for our family.

We are both vets with epidemiologist colleagues. We haven't done this lightly.

I accept most will get this virus. We intend to try and get it as late as possible..*

But this could be months. Are you waiting until there is a vaccine?

Just to say I didn't compile the list, it was sent to me and said free to share so I did

I will be keeping DCs at home. One has suspected mumps (despite being vaccinated) and asthma, so would have kept him off anyway. Younger DC is robust, but I’ve been wiped out with an infection for six weeks after 3 rounds of antibiotics and feel very run down. I also have asthma. My concern is what DC will bring back home.
DH has been told to work from home for the foreseeable future. It’s a few weeks out of (hopefully) a lifetime.
When I almost died from Swine flu (the original strain from Mexico picked up on an aeroplane by a family member and spread)-and doctors in masks were mumbling and looking away when I asked if I was going to die, family prepared etc...... I don’t recall being concerned about fecking school attendance and education. I just wanted to be alive to see my family grow.
I will do anything in my power to not be in that situation again, or prevent anyone else be in that situation. I will do what I can to not be adding to NHS overwhelm and helping flatten the curve.

No. Kids in years 11 and 12, and year 11 haven't quite finished all GCSE courses. DD2 has compulsory Geography coursework trip next week. It sounds like their teachers are preparing for possible closures by making sure they have up to date email addresses for all the students. My kids have been told they will be sent work to do at home if schools close, and the GCSE art exam in April may be moved to the May exam period if needed. But as long as the schools are open and the kids are well I'll send them in.
Not sure about myself though, Ive just come down with a cold. Prob not Covid as no cough or fever but I work for the NHS so may stay home as a precaution.

Yes, we have told the school she has a cough so is self isolating.

Nope. Not keeping her off (yr 1) until the school is officially closed. She is a good health atm (which is miraculous in itself for this time of year.) Nobody in the family is of very bad health so we're keeping calm and carrying on.

Some worrying noises coming out of the Chinese medical community about a certain percentage of moderate/severe health complications even for survivors/those that weren't critical. Nothing peer reviewed obviously so can't say for sure.

Don't fancy my dc having their lifespan reduced though. I'll be keeping them off. Yes, for months/years if need be.

@Twasbambam This is it really, isn't it. Something like a third of cases have cleared the virus worldwide, the rest are all ongoing, and we simply don't know what the longterm health implications will be, but I've read first hand accounts from survivors and they weren't saying they'd made a full recovery. Far from it.

That is extremely worrying.

@nagynolonger
But this could be months. Are you waiting until there is a vaccine?
Good question! Not necessarily..

At some stage there will be widespread use of rapid ELISA antigen/antibody testing kits to allow 'herd immunity' to be assessed, and identification of at-risk individuals who haven't yet been exposed to the virus. (Currently being used in parts of Asia.)

I am asthmatic. Two elderly parents. Cabin fever/fines/loss of school places are trivial compared to the risk of loss of one of us.

A proportion of people who succumb to severe lung disease from the virus at the peak of the pandemic in the UK will die without hospital care. Not just without ICU care, but without any hospital care. Its happening in Italy. I intend to minimise the risk to my family as far as I can.

I don't trust our government's approach.