Did I miss something in the press conference- school closures?

[souldivachakkakahn]

I listened. The only time closures warranted a mention was an aside for "maybe later" measures. Did I miss something?
Now, if keeping schools open is the best course of action, then ok. But the fact that so many people are anxious about kids going to school, there are petitions etc. How could they not dedicate some time to explain why the advice was not changing yet? People need information to make informed decisions.

Bloody hell.

The OP wasn't criticising the decision to keep them open she was saying surly with everyone panicking and questioning why they're still open when lots of other countries aren't shouldn't they have spent more time explaining the reasons and the press conference

The rationale is staggered social distancing measures so when we need to go into lockdown people will comply. Lockdown isn't to irradicate the virus. You'd need to lockdown the whole world at the same time for months to achieve this. Otherwise it just starts recirculating when lockdown is lifted. What they're doing is buying time so that they can flatten the peak to allow the NHS to cope with demand. They can't stop people catching the virus but they're trying to minimise the impact and delay the peak. It's a case of holding our nerve until the right time to lock down. Shutting the schools wouldn't work. Our school was half empty today but our local shopping centre was full of families off on a jolly. Shops and restaurants were jumping 🤷‍♀️

When is the peak time for closing the school??? Why does BJ wait for the peak time for it? I really don’t get it. It’s awful.

I’m an emergency worker as is my husband. Actually the schools closing wouldn’t affect us much as we both do 12 hour shifts so school hours aren’t effective childcare for us.

Our school was half empty today but our local shopping centre was full of families off on a jolly. Shops and restaurants were jumping

But until today the UK government hadn't recommended social distancing had it? Whereas they now have?

Where I live everywhere is empty.

They are contradicting themselves with these half-measures. Advising social distancing, but allowing the schools to stay open? WTF?

Now we're really in shite street!!

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/uks-sewage-system-in-danger-of-gridlock-from-toilet-paper-substitutes-coronavirus

I'm going to have to keep my son off surely? If pregnant women count as a vulnerable group.

I'm in a special needs school with highly vulnerable children.... I have 3 TAs. 1 already in self isolation. Another just rang and is now. The 2 teachers next to me are now in self isolation for 2 weeks due to their kids..... so that means joining classes .... not much education. Ridiculous

The government in Australia has also decided to keep schools open. Some parents are starting to decide for themselves. SAHM parents or those who can work from home have the ability to keep their children home. Some schools are talking about sending school work to children via the internet. Parents who work outside their homes can send their child/children to school as there will be teachers giving them lessons though they might not be in their regular classrooms.

Reducing the numbers of children attending school means there is a reduced chance of the Coronavirus spreading.

In Australia there are no fines for missing school so parents have more autonomy.

It’s not just emergency workers though, it’s social workers who have a statutory duty to protect children and vulnerable adults, support workers who are in homes day in day out supporting vulnerable children, it’s carers providing essential care to older people and those with disabilities, police officers, fire fighters. If schools close, huge swathes of the workforce will be affected including essential workers. There’s no point in closing schools to simply move the problem elsewhere eg childminders and other childcare settings, keeping kids home means keeping them home.

And for how long. There’s talk where I am of 16-19 weeks of school shut down, with kids effectively resitting the year/stage next year due to lack of teaching this year. Few parents in my school would have the capacity to support their children’s learning in the event of a shutdown - it’s pretty dismissive of teachers training and profession to suggest all parents could pick up and provide the same learning experience so what do you do about the very real gap in education. Some folk/schools/Ofsted would argue that just one day off school impacts so significantly on a child’s learning that schools can’t possibly authorise it, yet closing indefinitely is ok?

If schools need to close, so be it but let’s not pretend that it’s an easy, straightforward option or one that should be taken lightly.

They aren’t closing pubs, clubs and restaurants either though. I’ve taken my ds out of school and the school we’re fine about it.
If you feel uncomfortable about your children being at school then keep them at home if you are able to. No one is going to be prosecuted.

I'm in the vulnerable group so should, according to BJ today, be socially isolating. I'm also a single mum to 3 - oldest in a secondary school of over 1,200 children. It makes zero sense for them to be going to school in order to bring germs home to a vulnerable person. Slightly at a loss what to do now - if i keep them home before school officially closes will i be fined? And what would happen re their school work?

Well said soloula. People don't seem to be able to comprehend this.

Forgot to add to my post, the first case of cv in my town was confirmed today.

Surely schools being open and kids spreading it mean it would spread to the essential workers whose kids are there

How about just a skeleton staff for essential workers children?

I think we should be in lockdown like other countries, it seemed to stamp it out in Wuhan.

The PM was very vague today and waffle-y and unclear imo

They aren’t closing pubs, clubs and restaurants either though.

They haven't officially closed them in my state either. But restaurants and pubs have closed themselves because social distancing means no one's going there and it makes more sense to switch to takeout-only sooner rather than later.

If schools need to close, so be it but let’s not pretend that it’s an easy, straightforward option or one that should be taken lightly.

Has anyone suggested it is?

Kids might get it but they aren't as contagious because they aren't getting all the symptoms largely - sneezy coughy symptoms.

Make sure they wash their hands and keep them away from older people if possible obv. I have sympathy with those parents who rely on their own parents for childcare. But that's not everyone.

School closures stop front line staff from delivering healthcare and bog roll.

And the biggest takeaway I get - isolation is absolutely shitting hard and you can only get buy in from the public for a matter of weeks. I reckon 16 weeks from the numbers hand waved from the conferences. The science is start using those sixteen weeks up now when the NHS can cope - well people will decide to have fucked it off when the NHS demand is peaking.

Total lockdown is a pause button you get to use once.

Who do you think will look after children when the parents have to work? Yep, the older generations. Ffs. It’s pointless right now to close schools. Use your brains ffs

We have been asked not to go to pubs, restaurants and theatres! There is also the issue of flattening the curve by introducing measures gradually. The Chief Medical Officer says keeping schools open is counterintuitive but clamouring for closure against advice is just panic. The measures need to be introduced slowly or we risk non compliance.

Sadly no loo rolls at any shops near me. So had to buy tissues. Not sure what my 95 year old mother will do?

No they hadn't specifically recommended those social distancing measures but my point is people are taking kids out of school like it's some hotbed of infection and taking them out and about to shops and restaurants which totally defeats the purpose. Unless we're on total lockdown school closures won't work as they rely on people not socialising which just won't happen. One of my friends has taken her kids out of school and away to their caravan on the coast. It's like a holiday. There's pictures of the kids in playgrounds and things which will be disinfected a hell of a lot less than the school and you don't know who is using these things either. Other friends had pictures on Facebook of play dates. At least school is a controlled environment. Our school has hand sanitizers readily available and the kids are encouraged to hand wash wherever possible. Dd2 is at nursery and her hands are red raw from washing.

People seem to think school closures are a magic bullet to stop people catching cv but it's just delaying it and the govt are walking a very fine line here to try and ensure the nhs has the maximum capacity to deal with cases as and when they arise. I hate the tories and BJ but I do understand the science behind it and the reasoning why.

Kids might get it but they aren't as contagious because they aren't getting all the symptoms largely - sneezy coughy symptoms

You must be joking. Children get a special, less contagious version of Covid-19?

In the Netherlands schools are closed but the regular /out of school care are looking after the children of key workers.