What’s the point if social distancing when children will be spreading it

[ThatsWotSheSaid]

What is the point of not going to a restaurant when children are swapping germs all day everyday and bringing it home to parents and then we are taking it to work?

There is no point. The whole advice is ridiculous and makes no sense.

I thought that myself. Parents evening got cancelled today and I wondered what the point is when we are all walking our kids right into their classroom to drop off AND collect them?

It is monstrously unfair on teachers too. As though they are somehow immune just because they teach children!

I also wondered what the point of closing schools will be if ALL workplaces don't shut down too. Like in our house, me and 4 kids will be staying home but DH going out to work delivering and collecting cars from people all over the country, using lots of public transport too. Surely we would just be spreading our family lurgy or he would be bringing it back?

People are supposed to be working from home and not travelling or making unnecessary journeys.

Solomummy - most jobs can't be done from home. Many sectors (including the one I'm in) have legal requirements for staff to undertake duties and for members of the public to attend that place of work to see those staff. Until the government gives clear specific instructions to excuse this then it's pointless as the current guidance is just a nice plea which most will ignore (either because they want to or they have to)

There is no point advice is silly

There is no point whatsoever. Children are virus spreading machines.

It’s stupid. Kids are spreading the disease to those people least able to work from home. And the government has no obligation to find ways to relieve financial burden like mortgages as it’s not a directive.

We are isolating ourselves.Our logic is that yes ds is exposed to lots of other children but it stops in our house if we get it off him I.e no visiting any other family members or them visiting us.Its worth a try at least.

I worry about this. I see a lot of old people in my work and I’d be devastated if I unknowingly passed it on to them- no matter how careful I am it is a possibility.

Pointless. Utterly pointless

I think the government want people that can take out their kids, astley have to leave them open as long as possible for essential workers

*as they

The point is to slow down the spread. Not to stop anyone getting it.
I can't see what's so hard to understand?

About 90% of the contagious illnesses i've had have come from my dcs. But they can't vote Tory can they? So who cares what happens to them?

Argh!! Every social interaction you (or your kids) have, INCREASES your risk of spreading it.

@homemadecommunistrussia I don't think they teach risk management in schools anymore. Sadly.

Certainly not, very few people seem to have any idea about how risk works.

@RuffleCrow your kids aren't likely to die from this!!! But they might KILL someone else via you if you keep socializing.

Unless you want to be panhandling on the street after the economy tanks, we have to balance keeping essential services going while minimizing the risk to the most vulnerable.

' People are supposed to be working from home'

Are you serious? Have you ever been outside? The whole infrastructure of this country is propped up by people who can't feasibly work from home! Police, medical, food production, engineering, logistics.... none of these industries can be conducted from people's lounges. Unbelievable.

It's to slow down the spread so the nhs can cope. I don't get why that's so hard to understand. People will still catch it. People will still get ill and some people will unfortunately still die but the whole point is to flatten the peak so the nhs can manage and more people can be treated and less people will die.

If some people work from home, that's less people in offices, less people on public transport....

If concerts and large gatherings are cancelled that's less people mixing socially....

If people are cutting back on socialising and catching up with friends on Skype rather than at the pub that's less people mixing....

It's not difficult to understand. Surely all these things reduce the chance of contracting the virus from others? That's how social distancing works. It's doesn't have to be a lockdown or nothing scenario. The time for lockdown will come but this isn't it just yet.

Yes, you’ve all spotted a flaw the countries best collection of epidemiologists, scientists, virologists and mathematical modellers hadn’t thought of.

That or maybe this is by design.

But it won’t slow the spread by much will it. The overwhelming amount of germ spreading will carry on. It’s like putting a bib on a toddler eating soup. It does something but it doesn’t feel like there is much point.

The majority of adults in the UK don't have school-age children.

Because every little helps.

Because avoiding restaurants doesn’t affect essential workers, unlike closing schools. So the pro/con balance is different.

Because plenty of people don’t have children.

Because school children mix with the same group every day, so will probably already have swapped germs with them, but if you go to a bar or restaurant that’s a new set of people.