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 feel really sorry for teachers. A lot of them will be at risk.

@alloutoffucks I think yes to buy to let's as it would be quite hard to separate out btl/holiday homes/air bnbs etc. Not sure about caravans, found this from 2017

It makes Britain the second biggest buyers of caravans in the world – behind only the US.
There are currently around 500,000 touring caravans on the road with over 200,000 motorhomes – plus 300,000 static caravan holiday homes.

Summer homes are probably more of a thing in continental Europe because lots of countries "shut down" for August & so many people live in apartments to be close to work. One of my parents is French, all that side of the family have 2nd homes in the South for the Summer but property is cheaper over there.

If it includes buy to lets that sounds right. But those landlords can not just flee to their buy to lets, which in most cases will be in cities anyway.
Having an empty holiday home you can go to is much rarer.
As I said before in my company we have a lot of people from wealthy backgrounds who have a second home that is left empty. But they all send their kids to private school so closing or not closing state schools is irrelevant

The “close the schools” brigade are very short-sighted. They are not thinking of the consequences of school closures - it will make things worse.

When/ if we get ill I’d rather be at home than all trapped in a caravan.

Agree Butterymuffin
I am trying not to get infected, but I have two dc still in school, one in year 11. So I am very aware that we as a family with children in school , need to be thinking of the risk that we pose to friends, family, and the community.

In my part of London lots of parents here do have a 2nd home or at least one in the family if that makes sense. My kids are in a state primary but your looking at 1m plus for a terrace in the catchment which is true for many London state primaries. I work in the public sector with lots of older people & many of them have 2nd homes (mix of holiday homes/btls) simply because they are older & property was cheaper. I think 1 in 6 baby boomers has a 2nd property.
I don't necessarily think we will see everyone rush to them though like you say.

What a stupid post.

And wtf is the 'London Chatterati'?

I'm sure the numbers of people in the UK with holiday homes is vanishingly small.

I wonder of all the 0.01% will be aiming to get to their New Zealand bunkers! 😆

Spoketoosoon make things worse for who?

As a teacher it would put me in a much safer position.

The schools are open largely for the effect on the workforce / economy but also IMO because the government want 60 - 80% of the population to get this and schools are lovely for transmission.

Yes why close schools if you want most people to get it?

I understand why they are trying to protect the economy as well, it's going to be a blood bath & it's not like our economy was in strong position before this happened.

I’m not convinced that the schools remaining open is a good idea. They are open to provide a transmission for the general population in order to achieve herd immunity. Which is a theory based on what evidence? Everyone else is closing.

We've been given no guidance on hand washing,

You need to be GIVEN guidance!!!??? Be proactive then! A quick internet search will give you all the guidance you need. I found and printed WHO posters on handwashing, theses have been laminated and put in all sink areas and classrooms. Every teacher has spoken about the importance of hand-washing. We had an assembly where correct washing was demonstrated. If you need to be GIVEN guidance then you probably shouldn’t be teaching.... we haven’t been GIVEN anything but our duty of care meant we found it out!

How can anyone think of going on holiday at a crisis time like this is beyond me unless they think they are safer elsewhere.

I don't think some people are understanding exactly what the issue is. Of course we will probably all get it at some point, yes the majority will be ok. BUT Italy health service is at breaking point. People with other conditions are unable to get the treatment they need. There are not enough ventilators. That could happen here with wide spread infection due to large groups of people infecting each other. Our economy is already not great yes but neither is our nhs.

We will all get it because the government has decided it is too hard to do anything else. Every other government is taking a different approach.

My friend whose toddler dd seems to have tonsillitis can’t be seen unless she goes to a&e hospital where she would be tested first. This doesn’t seem like the most effective method to me. It’s already having a knock on effect for people unable to have treatment for different things.

Schools are staying open for childcare and to spread the virus because bojo thinks he knows better than the independant (not gov) scientists.

This is well below what building regs say is required.

Maybe they count the lab sinks which are vinegary at best

The “close the schools” brigade are very short-sighted. They are not thinking of the consequences of school closures - it will make things worse.

Show me the Science

There would be a mass exodus to North Norfolk, a county with one or a couple of confirmed cases, if that. Thanks folks!

People shifting out of London to Norfolk /Cornwall/ Wales, need to think of what will happen if they get very ill. No beds ! Safer staying in London, both for the rural community they will infect, but also for themselves. I would rather be near a big London hospital now, than in Wales with no hospital at all close and a minimal chance of a bed.