Is this scaremongering: schools not open until December

[JuneTreeTop]

Heard off a few people today (different times) that schools wont open until December.
Surely not????

There are over 200 virus' which cause the common cold the coronavirus is only 3 or 4 of them and none of these have mutated yet.
Usually if a virus mutates it becomes more benign.
There's nothing to say we won't develop lasting immunity. Although I appreciate there's nothing to say we will either but let's look on the bright side eh

There’s no way you could persuade 60 million people of the benefit of shutting down everyday life for months on end to save the lives of a relatively small number.

I know that’s a harsh reality but it’s true. People will tolerate this for three months max in my opinion. You can’t remove freedom indefinitely.

@alloutoffucks

Do you think they would though? (genuine question)

Do you think there will come a point at which we have to accept that elderly people will die of this, as our best attempts to keep them alive (closing schools/shutting down the economy etc) just aren't sustainable in the long run?

Sept earliest, no way will it be June @undecided91 could well be longer though, if people continue to ignore the advice

Hopefully back after May Half Term - if not then September

Sadly I think that point will come.

How many die of flu every winter?

@DCOkeford Which is why countries like China are trying to eradicate it. This can be done. After all cases of bubonic plague although they happen are rare with only 1,000 to 2,000 people getting it worldwide every year. It once killed one third of the population of England.

They probably will enforce martial law

They really won’t. The Government will stay in charge and the military will be doing the MACA in line with the sort of planning that’s going on now (ministers sometimes mention elements of it in interviews)

Of course it will mutate. That's what viruses and bacteria do. They are trying to survive like all living things. The only way to survive is to continually mutate.

Who knows! I do know quite a few university lectures and professors here in Ireland and they have all been told to prepare online courses not just for the end of this academic year. But also be prepared that they may be asked to start the next academic year online if necessary. I don't know how that would work for incoming first year students as end of year exams for school leavers haven't been cancelled, so I don't know how secondary students will transition to third level.

The only thing that's certain is that we are in a situation that hasn't happened in living memory but that past pandemics have followed several waves. So this could go on to some extent for years. Or one of the potential treatments using currently licensed medications scientists and doctors are currently doing studies of, could prove effective enough that this could be mostly over by early summer.

An average of 8,000 die every year with flu with a vaccination programme.

@Everyexitisanentrance, no way are they going back to school in after May half term. Getting the virus under control is far more important than kids' education right now. Missing school won't result in deaths, going to school will.

Flu is extremely effective at mutating though

@DCOkeford I hope not. It would be immoral to just let those vulnerable to this die. WHO are the experts and say it can be eradicated still. I will be hopeful and go with that for now.

Maybe it would be easiest if when schools start up again, all kids just repeat a year?

I’m a uni lecturer and I’m concerned we won’t be able to start with a new intake of students in sept.

Yes
As is you starting this thread. Scaremongering. You should be ashamed of yourself OP

Maybe it would be easiest if when schools start up again, all kids just repeat a year?

My brother is quite senior in education and says this was one option considered last week/the week before. But problem is you can’t have 2x intakes of reception. So double the kids in one year. Because that would be a double size year for all their school life. So they seriously considered making everyone repeat the year in sept but raising the school age in the U.K. permanently to 5-6yo.

I hope so too, but it has to be said that we are animals at the end of the day.

All the education and civilisation in the world doesn't change the fact that (unfortunately) the vulnerable minority of the herd often have to expended to save the healthy majority.

I have a vulnerable child in my extended family btw, so I do sincerely hope this isn't the case.

If people don't start social distancing then probably!
The amount of people who are actually increasing there social life now the weather is improving is disgusting!

Flu is extremely effective at mutating though

But this isn't a flu virus. Not all virus' mutate at the same rate. They have samples of a common cold coronavirus which are 30 years old and they're not much different to today's virus.
All the childhood immunisations are of virus' which don't mutate at a fast rate.

@amboseli you’re going to die of something, guess it doesn’t matter if it’s coronavirus next week then?

@VivaLeBeaver, what do you think would be the consequence of 1000s of students turning up at uni in September, living in close quarters in student accommodation etc when we are currently trying to stop transmission by self isolating and social distancing.

I'm amazed at the lack of knowledge and joined up thinking here.

@VivaLeBeaver, not really. Why is dying of Corona any worse than dying of some other illness or getting run over for eg?