Our children can't hug grandparents, but they can go back to school?

[Emcont]

Another thread, I know, I'm sorry.

I have a child in Reception and a child in Year 1.

Am I gonna face a fine if I don't send them? Probably!

The two years who are probably going to be the worst at social distancing!

Anyone else not feel comfortable sending them back so soon?

That made me laugh out loud @floatyboat

Children don't shed the virus?

I'd be very interested to know what testing has been done to confirm the hypothesis that children do not shed the virus.

Do some of you think we can just stay in forever ?

The solutions are not just binary choice between stay in for ever versus resume life as normal. Testing, tracking and tracing is the way forward, by itself and for the data provided to validate or not the hypothesis of transmission methods.

Anything else is reckless.

Why it's all so much more difficult in our island is perhaps a mystery.

Children shouldn't hug dinner ladies

Hahahahaha. I see you have little experience of Primary School. If a child falls over on the playground and need comforting staff will, from now on just remain at a 2m distance. Ditto for tying shoelaces and zipping up coats (Guaranteed to get a cough in the face doing that).
When little Billy comes home crying because he wasn't allowed to sit right next to his friend or he got told off for wrestling at playtime?
Tough luck buddy, need taht economy going!

mumwon The Guardian article you linked is beyond laughable. It’s based on a fact a nurse wrote in with their personal opinion schools should be shut, nothing more. There was nothing behind an allegation that a teacher caught it from a student, they could have got it from anywhere including a carrier in the supermarket.

Perhaps get the opinion of virologists and epidemiologists who are experts in this area. What’s now occurring is based on their expert opinions.

No, children are not great shedders/spreaders. It’s not essential children distance from each other or anyone else really unless they are at high risk.

FinallyHere, test and trace. In the original infections that we had from the skiing trips, children who came back with it didn't infect others. Even though they did give them the colds that they had.

We are comparing data with other countries and they have found the same to be true which is why there are less restrictions on primary aged children.

We expected it to rip through the refugee camps and also across parts of Africa, ehere the orphanages/boarding schools are, but it didn't. It followed the pattern of the elderly being infected by contact with other adults.

In France and Italy (and now the US) they have been studying the sewage and water waste. They may use this to find out if another wave is on the way. Adults shed the virus in their waste two weeks before. Men shed it in their semen but it isn't infectious just present. Children aren't shedding it in body fluids/waste at the rate that can be transmitted, if the hygiene measures are followed.

There's big bodies of research going on, to do with every aspect.

No, children are not great shedders/spreaders Proof?

@Ponoka7 Do you have links to those studies?

The studies re children's risk has been discussed before at length. The iceland data is an example.

A younger staff member can comfort the child.

Bit other countries are sending primary back and everyone in here is always saying why aren’t we like them ? And gain it’s not a definite is it ? Tracking and trying is now being implemented more
Also schools have Been operating maybe they have also looked at the data from that ? I haven’t heard of a school that currently has children in having to shut down Due to the virus , granted it’s less but we don’t know all details on schools yet maybe they will only have a handful in a day
We also can look at the countries data of others that have gone back

Tracking and tracing even

@Ponoka7 exactly I think people on here just think we are going along with things without any scientific advise , there will be lots of studies going on all around the world which aren’t shared with Mumsnet
We will learn more and more but it Will take time to fully understand this virus

The studies re children's risk has been discussed before at length. The iceland data is an example

And this study says differently. It's almost as if there isn't enought concrete information. I wonder how we could research the spread amongst children? Oh wait, good old England!

A younger staff member can comfort the child
Good idea! But most of out MTA's are over 50 so little Billy will have to lie there and wait until soneone (probably a teacher on break) can come and comfort him. Nope, can't see parents getting upset by that!

@Kortnee

Your constant sarcastic tone makes you quite tedious to engage with. There are lots of studies, the data is complex, it is interesting to unpick but uncertainty remains. I suspect you are not capable of engaging in such discussions without being emotional or reducing it to personal anecdote/circumstances.

Well when the issue directly affects my personal circumstances it is very difficult to remain objective.
There is a lot of data, it's all very complex. Which is why it's not a great idea to send the yougest, most likely to spread back. If people are willing to gamble the health of theirs and others children and the staff, then great. But who will get the blame if it all goes badly? The staff.

@kortnee

Well at least try to be objective. Because the data as it stands suggests young children are relatively safe from covid, how safe is unclear. There are lots and lots of harms to not going back to school for the children and for society. Every decision is a "gamble"? Who will get the blame for harming children for not sending them back? It's complicated see. There is a need to balance lots and lots of things. I'm not sure you understand that.

If children aren't great shredders of the virus, then logically it would be perfectly safe to spend time with their grandparents.
This whole thing calls for a whole lot of mental gymnastics.

Did you do a Mumsnet head tilt to go with that patronising post. People have different opinions and reactions to things see? You spouing on about how data says it safe, isn't fact when you don't back it up with evidence, I'm not sure you understand that?

I read the science websites. Here is the first article on it and since then Italy and New York are doing studies. I read that this would be a really good way of monitoring outbreaks in underdeveloped countries.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/coronavirus-found-paris-sewage-points-early-warning-system&ved=2ahUKEwjXhtfo4qvpAhVuRxUIHUphCacQFjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw1VbpMSGWsp_hJ8Y1_HoIq5&cshid=1589198847104" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/04/coronavirus-found-paris-sewage-points-early-warning-system&ved=2ahUKEwjXhtfo4qvpAhVuRxUIHUphCacQFjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw1VbpMSGWsp_hJ8Y1_HoIq5&cshid=1589198847104

Sky News has got the statistics on who has died. Male security guards have had the highest death rate.

The Andrew Marr show is always informative.

I'm a grandparent and will be very happy if they can go back to school soon. I think they will benefit more from having some normality back in their lives and if it means we don't see them for a while, then that's ok.

My daughter is a single parent and her ex doesn't have contact yet due to family court. She needs a break too.

@Ponoka7 Thank you. That's very interesting.

Between the children, social distancing isn't needed, they don't shed the virus.
@Ponoka7 that is simply not true, and quite concerning that you believe that.

Your children are not going to be able to hug their grandparents for a long time
How do you know this? Are you an epidemologist or just have a chrystal ball?
Information about the virus and it is transmitted is being collected and assessed daily. It's impossible to make predictions like this.

@Kortnee

Not everyone's opinion is equally sensible though. Just because you feel or worry about something doesn't make it true. Scientific consensus is often unclear and contradictory and from the tentative details emerge. The length of time you wait for that consensus to emerge depends on the risks/benefits.

@Floatyboat I have just read back through the thread and I think I owe you an apology. I was under the impression that you were advocating that children were risk free from the virus. I'm sorry for my frustration. I am just very worried we are rushing into things and it is affecting my objectivity.