Telegraph reporting primary schools to return 1 June

[MummaGiles]

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/05/02/primary-schools-reopen-june-part-blueprint-unlock-britain/

Sorry it’s behind a paywall.

Just heard about this on the radio. They are suggesting that Johnson will address the country next Sunday (10/5) with the roadmap, part of which will be primary schools returning on 1 June.

Not saying I believe it, just sharing the link.

I have just been talking to a relative who lives in New Zealand. Everyone over 60 has been tested and had a delivery of a medical kit containing full PPE, anti viral drugs, paracetamol, alcohol gel, hand sanitiser and disinfectant.

New Zealand has half the population of London - its ability to do things is very different to here

Of course, the children spitting and biting have special educational needs, trauma, etc. and yes these behaviours could still be occurring at age 9 or 10. Most primary school classes have at least one child that needs support with behaviour, often many more.

@quartz True, but we are the sixth richest country in the world while New Zealand is not even in the top 20 richest countries.

Mr Johnson is hoping to
Hoping being the key word. We can all hope for something however unrealistic. I also suspect it's more the super rich (with nothing to lose) like the owners of the telegraph who are hoping for such an early, risky, and unlikely date, more so than Boris who has urged caution.

NZ sounds brilliant. I wonder which antivirals they're using. I worry our government is, as we were with PPE and ventilators, at the back of the queue. There was a global shortage a couple of months ago so presumably countries had to put in advance orders.

I wonder if NZ is giving that package to only over 60s. What about those younger with underlying conditions?

Am I being a bit cynical. If schools do open in June, they will be open for six weeks say before school holidays. Some parents will continue to keep children away for various reasons. Then comes the second manageable NHS wave of covid.

We can then try again in September perhaps having a third wave before in November.

It might make sense in some scientific circles n`est pas?

I read today that early studies are showing that young children (so I guess primary age) don’t catch it badly, and as a result don’t pass it on the same way (ti the same extent) as adults do hence they appear to be softening up on schools opening. We’ll see what’s said later this week...

... and it's not just about parental engagement. I have a child in my class who spits at me and scratches others when he feels upset or insecure. His parents are the loveliest, most supportive and engaged parents he could wish for. Not all children are the same.

Those arguing that children in primary schools do not spit, bite, etc have I suspect not been near a primary school ever.
But then I am used to reading opinions on MN which strongly suggest the person has barely ever met a child in real like.

@morecakeplease There are theories that they do not pass it on as much, but no one really knows. Because even children do not cough as often as infected adults, they also don't behave like adults in other ways.

@ToffeeYoghurt I don't know what anti virals they are using. I had wondered why no one in the UK seemed to be talking about anti virals as they are routine for vulnerable people who catch serious viruses. For example they are often given for shingles. They don't cure it, but they do make it far less severe. If they work against this virus they would save lives.
I don't know if New Zealand are doing the same with younger people with medical conditions, I only know because my relative is in their 60's although very healthy.

The scientific evidence about children seems to flip flop daily. Hopefully more data will emerge. Some y6 children are adult sized so I'd be interested if they would have the same vulnerability as a reception aged child.
Are private nurseries allowed to reopen if they want?

Both mine have gone through a scratching phase age 4-5yo.
Possibly adhd though.
They are generally impulse.
School just isnt set up to monitor dc like my eldest. If not watched she isnt washing hands or flushing school toilet. Spends ages in the loo.
Imagine with contact tracing if it's your kid who infects the class and someone dies?
Kids often dont have the symptoms so in a way that is worse than an older child as you dont know they are ill they will be at school the whole time they are contagious.
Anyway a newspaper is reporting US have developed something that can tell using blood test if you are infected from 24h.
Sounds amazing. But i think they said uk dont have enough machinery and reagents.
Would certainly help if you could say test the ill person and their contacts staight away. It works on asymptomatic people.

How many people send kids back will depend

• how many think theyve already had it
• younger parents with no vulnerable
• people who believe the gov
• people who havent read exactly how other countries are going back
• believe cases represent infection levels here

I have just been talking to a relative who lives in New Zealand. Everyone over 60 has been tested and had a delivery of a medical kit containing full PPE, anti viral drugs, paracetamol, alcohol gel, hand sanitiser and disinfectant.

Sorry, I live in New Zealand and this isn’t true. Or if it is my parents haven’t received it, and I’ve missed a huge public announcement. Also it would be a bit of a waste of PPE and antivirals (where there isn’t one that’s been approved for widespread use).

They are pretty much testing everyone with a runny nose at the moment as they need to test for widespread community spread.

The only collective action for those over 65 is that they have increased the winter energy supplement paid to this group.

But, yesterday we had zero confirmed cases yesterday so that’s pretty awesome.

I know that we are only 5 million people in a country at the end of the world, but theoretically everything should be scaled up proportionally, especially for a country in the G7.

A couple of things that I think has made the most difference here are:

• communication has been done pretty well and I think because of this compliance has been high. The bubble concept was easy for everyone including kids to understand.

• all arrivals currently have to be quarantined for 14 days, similar to what was done for the arrivals in the early days from China. This couldn’t be done until arrivals slowed to a point that they could all be housed though.

• transparency of figures. Both confirmed and probable cases are reported daily, as are details on clusters of cases.

Things have gone wrong of course. Things have been handled poorly in some areas, and we are only just at a level of openness that the UK is now.