School and Coronavirus - keep kids home

[life2day]

Very surprised by the announcement not to shut schools. Is anyone keeping their kids off regardless. The LA. Surely can't fine us if we make that decision.

I am planning not to send my DS starting tmw (Monday 16th). I got a mild cough and am asthmatic. I would rather have him miss few days than increase the chances (however low) of it spreading to another child/family/school staff.

I think school and teachers are being forced to take an unnecessary and unjustified risk by exposing themselves to closed spaces and small gatherings (what else would one call it?) for prolonged period.

btw I dont buy the 'herd immunity' nonsense at all that the government is trying to sell us. Even if one life could be saved, by taking some preemptive measure, I think it is worth it. Dozens of our neighbours/friends/family are dying each day. If a total lockdown is what can prevent even one of these untimely deaths, we should go for it.

The problem is we don't know if it's going to come back with a vengeance like the Spanish flu did. There's really no way of knowing what country is making the right steps. The thing that worries me the most is the NHS is just not able to make it. They're are so so underfunded and with lack of a better word this hitting us is similar to it hitting a third world country. How can we only have 5000 ventilors is beyond me.

Our school has just shut down for a deep clean. Fuck. If they re-open I'm keeping my child at home.

A lot of the children in my school live with parents and their elderly grandparents, probably over a third of the class. In their situation I would most definitely be keeping the children off school as the risk of them catching it and passing it on is too high.

I think if the government were being honest with the true figure of suspected cases I think people would feel different. People are not being tested now and they are only reporting confirmed cases that have been taken to hospital.

In reality there probably about 30,000 cases in the UK. There is around 14 days where you can be symptomless. In a couple of weeks when you have a sick child and then it starts running through your family people are going to have a shock.

I’m flabbergasted tbh that considering the U.K. are amongst the last to get it they are still not looking around at other countries and trying to prevent what’s happened to them. Countries don’t go on lock down for nothing, why would we be any different?

I’m starting think the government think it’s actually too late so are just going to try push through it.

I know at least two parents who are sending their kids to school so they don’t miss their yoga class or gym time in the nice local hotel.

Bonkers

I’m a teacher and I’ve been fairly calm about the situation but now, one of the Chn in my class is self isolating, and two fellow teachers have today reported family members (living with them) as having the symptoms of CV. Yet those teachers are told to come on in to work tomorrow. WTF?! Surely that’s a sure fire way of spreading it quickly?!!

I have to keep my two off.

We are self isolating due to symptoms. Dc are fine but not worth the risk to others or to dd and dh who both have asthma.

So this is going to be a fun time

There’s no evidence that once you have it you are immune, as far as I am aware.

Mine are not going in.

But isn't the idea that keeping them in school and exposing them to it now makes them less 6if a risk to the most vulnerable (elderly, or people with compromised immune systems, I including other children) after the isolation period of those groups has ended. A period which by all accounts points to being imminent?

We're comfortable with the herd immunity theory when it comes to vaccines, why not when nature taking its course is the hypothetical vaccine for those that cant expose themselves in the same way?

Some might say that by not isolating, as an otherwise fit and well person with no symptoms at present, is a selfish act, and makes you a danger to society when those that have self isolated due to compromised immune systems are no longer in isolation!

It sounds terrifying, but we do know the data of the deaths even if we don't know the data of the carriers. That tells us with about as much certainty that there is at the moment, if you're under 40 years old you have 0.3 pct chance of dying, and without pre existing medical conditions, that chance is basically 0.0000001 pct.

Those that are otherwise fit and well need to listen to the scientists advice regarding herd immunity and think of the most vulnerable.

We can't change the UK's directive at this point, so we need to make sure we're not working against what the vast majority of others will be doing, and endangering others, not us.

I have a compromised immune system.

And why do you think we have a new flu vaccine each year? Because viruses mutate and change.

The strategy is a complete shitshow. If Boris is driving the bus into a wall, we’re getting off.

Point being, the only people that should be staying at home now are those that are already sick, elderly or that have compromised immune systems.

So my children should go to school and then bring it home to me?

Can you see how that strategy could backfire?

And virus mutation or not, where we have no vaccine, cure or medication that can get rid of the virus, the only thing to do at present is to build up a herd immunity as soon as possible, or isolate and risk it coming back later, with the risk of it being more aggressive and taxing to our health service.

We can't really escape it.

We can let it build up really gradually so that the NHS can cope.

This strategy absolutely does not do that. The NHS will be completely overwhelmed by this time next week.

This is being badly mishandled. I wish your confidence was well founded.

Okay, so let's not be silly. Of course, if they are in direct contact with people with compromised immunity and that can not be avoided, then they should also self isolate, alongside you.

Where possible however, the least risk they can pose is to have caught and beaten the illness, thus making sure they can not pass it to you.

What's the alternative, close the schools until coronavirus is irradiated? That could take years or be entirely impossible.

If you let it build up to gradually the peak will not occur in the summer. It will occur in autumn-winter along with seasonal flu. Then the NGS really will be overwhelmed.

We agree That’s not the guidance though!

We’re all just doing our best I guess

NHS!

We are all just doing our best. I think the government have been terrible at communicating and we're not used to being told there is a disaster that we cant be shielded from, but they cant actually help us. There is not cure. There is no medicine.

What's most important is to protect the single thing which can make any of this mildly better, the NHS. And that includes those with other ailments not Covid related.

It's really shit, but we panicking only makes this all worse! That we are sure of.

Yes I'm keeping my son home from school and other one from nursery, I'm in a position I can work from home and totally isolate us , so that's what I'm doing. 3 less people to spread it about is the way I'm looking at it.

Mine will be going to school / nursery until it closes

The LA. Surely can't fine us if we make that decision

Sure they can, you’ll be breaking the law.

Mine are off from this week. I love the idea of herd immunity in a rose tinted, idealistic world.

Back in the real world my children could easily bring covid19 home and kill their parent. It’s a risk too high IMO. The local authority can fine me if they wish - but I’ll claim illness and see how far they get.

I’m not relying on the Government to provide me with the right advice, given it’s contrary to all the main countries in Europe, America/Australia and Wuhan. I have little faith that the U.K. are following the correct path and I don’t accept we should all get it. It will cause unnecessary deaths. That doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t still be deaths in a lock down - but far fewer than if we let it spread like wildfire throughout the U.K.

Everyone just needs to realise that most of us are going to contract Covid-19 and most of us will be fine.

It is set to go on for months, if you take your kids out of school now how long are you able to keep them home with you? Wont you go insane isolating your family and barely leaving the house with the kids under your feet all day every day for weeks or months? People that work how long can you go without getting paid? I don’t think as a teacher you’re any more at risk catching then nhs staff or staff in supermarkets?

If you’re worried about passing it onto a poorly or elderly relative, reduce your contact with them, if you need to see them or they live with you make sure to wash your hands when you come home or into contact with them, change your clothes etc.

Mine are going in. They are doing well at the hygiene stuff. Hoping they stay open until Easter break.