Just realised why schools are not closing

[NearlyGranny]

Going by the Spanish experience, half the London chatterati would make a dash for their closed-up holiday homes where they would strip our supermarket shelves and no doubt create a virus hotspot among us privileged year-round residents. I'm pretty sure the unmanageable spike we're all fearing would only be hastened by a general school closure.

If we could rely on people isolating at home, it would be a different matter.

I’ve no idea what you’re talking about

Schools remain open so critical workers, from medical staff, to hospital cleaners to delivery drivers can go to work.

Most people in London don’t have a second home. In fact I don’t know anyone here who does.

And what Bluntness said

I dont know anyone with a second home in London. Are you in The Cotswolds? I do know one person with a houss there and flat in London but its the other way round really, house is main home and London flat for work in the week. They are already working from home and out of London as office closed.

It was reported yesterday that when the Spanish government closed the schools in Madrid, a lot of families from Madrid headed to the coastal towns potentially taking the virus with them. Not quite the plan the government had in mind!

I don't know anyone with a second home. I do know lots of people with relatives in nice places in wales and Scotland and Notfolk and Devon who would happily go and stay with for a month and leave their DC with them while they returned to work in our already highly contaminated area.

It's about preventing a sharp peak, rather than preventing a spread.

I’m in France where schools closed yesterday. Childcare is being provided for the dcs of hcp. Our local town hall is now compiling lists of people in the community who are willing to provide childcare for those who need it. There is a real sense of community atm.
We’ll see how it goes when it becomes more long term...

I agree everyone I know who can is off to second homes/caravans/parents in the country. TBF I'd leg it if I was in a city we all have to do what's best for our families.

Mmm. A little lower class but I live in East Sussex. I have no doubt that if schools close, half of South London will be in the caravan parks that evening.

I do know lots of people with relatives in nice places in wales and Scotland and Notfolk and Devon who would happily go and stay with for a month and leave their DC with them while they returned to work in our already highly contaminated area

....so you would carry your contamination to another part of the country......

I’m in Birmingham which has two cases. Friends have holiday homes in Devon with has many more. I fail to see your logic.

'Childcare is being provided for the DC's of hcps'.
I wouldn't be comfortable with putting my children in emergency style childcare, and my children are neuro typical with no disabilities or SEND. I spent ages finding the right childcare when I went back to work; just because they are now school aged I'm not going to put them in any old hastily cobbled together provision. Luckily I'm not a French HCP! Also I live in a part of the country where you can still buy pasta and loo roll!

@catwithnohat I personally wouldn't (am not going to Theater in London today, bought tickets before Christmas) but I now lots of people who would. Single parents who need to work, and others who are just blasé.

I'd leg it if I was in a city we all have to do what's best for our families.

And carry the disease with you.

Nice!

And caravan parks and other places such as holiday cottages need to feed their own families so will happily take guests.

Is a lockdown over Easter the answer? I've no idea

I also wonder how many people will be taking their closed-school children on the very cheap termtime 'short break in the UK' hollidays that will be available, rather than the expensive school holiday time ones. Holiday cottages are going to be rammed.

Yep.
All those children out of school, and parents would take them everywhere- into town, to parks, to cafes and so on.
Easter holidays will be a nightmare.

In my company we have a fair number of people who come from very wealthy backgrounds. They all have second homes. Some have a house in London. None of them have their main house in London. So if you saw them travelling to their house in the countryside from London, they would be going to their main house.

Also from those people I know, their kids go to private school. Shutting state schools will have no impact at all on them. Your ordinary parent at a state school does not have a house in London and a house in the country.

I've got a shed at the bottom of the garden. I could re arrange the deckchairs I suppose.

And any country that has closed schools has organised care for essential workers. That includes people who work in supermarkets, drivers, bin collectors, etc. Its really not difficult to do. Any emergency plan written by Local Authorities will have plans for how this can happen.
People talk as if this is impossible to do. Its really not. Lots of other countries have done it. Lazy Boris may think it is too hard to do. It really is not.

Schools remain open so critical workers, from medical staff, to hospital cleaners to delivery drivers can go to work.

Close schools and critical workers can’t work, keep them open and they become places where the virus can spread easily and quickly, which can the be passed on to critical workers and families.

Difficult.

Does make me laugh people saying that if the schools shut kids will be mixing about in the playgrounds etc. They are currently mixing in playgrounds etc AND in massive germ ridden schools with children who think it is funny to sneeze over teachers/other kids.

And anywhere that has closed schools has also made it illegal to let out holiday accommodation.
Yes that had a big economic impact, but from news reports, contrary to what people are saying on this thread, bookings are way way down. So people are already not travelling in the UK.
I know there will be a few idiots that will. There are a small number of people who will behave stupidly. There always are. Most people will not travel.

Single parents who need to work, and others who are just blasé.
Just because some of us aren't worried about getting it and are more realistic about the fact that we will get it as well as the elephant in the room: If you shut the nation down for a couple of months you are more than likely to lose a lot of jobs
There has been 1 under 20 death worldwide - even the regular flu kills more children
The fatality rate for under 50s currently stands at 0.4% and even then it's only if you have a pre-existing condition... but actually only gets serious >65 yrs old
So if you're over 50, yeah stay at home, no one's going to blame you. But for the rest of us, there's no point stopping life. Just don't visit the elderly for a few months while the rest of us build up immunity which will soften the blow for the elderly.

Does make me laugh people saying that if the schools shut kids will be mixing about in the playgrounds etc. They are currently mixing in playgrounds etc AND in massive germ ridden schools with children who think it is funny to sneeze over teachers/other kids.

Yep. Out of school , they’ll mix with a much smaller group in a much smaller area.

I bet most will be indoors on computers.