I'm really scared. Not allowed to wear a mask at work

[LavenderLilacTree]

It's just to vent really as I know there is no way round it.

I am really scared. I am a TA and when all the pupils are back in school we aren't allowed to wear face masks or any PPE. Social distancing is not going to happen.

The government have said only go back to work if it's safe and you can ensure social distancing, well it's not going to be safe for me. Government say to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces but teachers and TAs are not allowed to.

I am scared. I am in my 40s and have 3 children in Yr 8, Yr 7 and Yr 5 . I know it's a 3% chance of dying but to me that's not an insignificant risk. I would never take part in any activity that had a 3% chance of dying.

I just feel like the government doesn't value my life. This is a deadly virus that KILLS, i want to wear a mask. My life matters to me, my husband and my children.

It's scary at work at the moment but we only have 4- 7 kids in. When we have a full school it's going to be impossible to stay 2 meters apart so therefore you feel I should at least be able to wear a mask.

I love my job and the children at school but I don't want to give my life for it. I just think I should be able to have some form of protection. It's like my life doesn't matter.

@JassyRadlett
apologies, I went from the title.

I don’t know why we would exclude car deaths not involving alcohol. If you are hit by an over the limit driver you will still suffer. Being sober on the road is no guarantee of safety

Lots of people work in places where it’s impossible to stay 2m away
Dentists. Hairdressers beauty salons chiropodists nurses doctors opticians
Etc etc

Not just schools

Heatherjayne1972

Most of them are closed.

Or only open for emergencies. and even then they have been allowed PPE.

Also doctors and nurses are not places.

I'm a healthy, slim white woman. I didn't die of Coronavirus but I still can hardly walk up a hill 2 months on. According to statistics I had it mildly. We need to open schools BUT we must not dismiss the safety of staff or children. This illness is not nice.

666 of which were alcohol related. I'm not including those, since people tend to talk about getting into a car, not getting into a car -drunk-. And the 50,000 comes from ONS excess deaths, which is likely to be a much more reliable estimate of actual Covid deaths.

Ah. The 50,000 excess deaths compared to the ten year rolling average for the period to end of April!

The one they stated is pretty much the same figure as in 2017/18 (winter before last) when there was a spike in seasonal flu. - BBC news this morning.

I'm sorry, your point is what? That we had a bad year for flu and lots of people died that year? I haven't checked the statistics, possibly so. Flu can be deadly too when the vaccine fails. That the excess deaths this year were due to flu? Highly unlikely, as the surplus occurred at a time when flu rates were already dropping. That there will only be 50,000 Covid deaths this year? I very much hope you are right, which is why I am urging caution on anything likely to raise spread back up to its natural levels. That Covid is only as deadly as flu? I honestly thought we had buried that theory back in March and cannot be bothered to rake up all the figures again. If you want to try to prove they are just as deadly as each other, you are going to have to persuade me with something more convincing than "I saw it Good Morning."

It’s not the ppe or lack of that’s stopping dentists from opening. It’s the aerosol we generate Sending all manner of particles into the air - which we all breathe in
Impossible to stop. Impossible to stay 2m away from our customers mouths

My hairdresser friend is not able to source Proper ppe as it’s not healthcare She can’t stay 2m away from her customers either

Point is. Plenty of us are at huge risk of infection not just teachers

I suggest dentists go back to working on 1st June, but only on children. It's okay, because children are immune to Covid and aren't infectious. And even if dentists catch it, since they are all white, female and under 40 like teachers, I'm sure they'll be fine anyway.

Nellodee, good answer!

@nellodee
Our patients aren’t tho

Dentistry is the at the top of the list by far for being infectious and passing on infections

We would love to go back on 1st June. Unfortunately we’re are prohibited until our governing bodies come up with a way of stopping us and our patients breathing in all the germs that are produced by our drills /air puffers / airflow/ cavitrons. - which we use on everyone and can’t do our job without

What nellodee said ^

I think the proposed return to school is too early but I can't figure out myself when would be a good time. I know lots say September but that's only because it's the new school year.

When would be a good time? When there's a vaccine or cure (which could be never)? When the death/ infection rate is at a certain level? What level are people looking at?

I haven't read the full thread so not sure if this statistic has been mentioned. On the national news yesterday they suggested that working age women who are otherwise fit and well have a 5 in 100,000 chance of dying, or 0.005%. Interestingly the same chance as dying in a road traffic accident each year! But nobody is terrified of driving...

Although I do think it's too early for schools comparing teachers with dentists is unfair in my opinion. I am a nurse who has been working on Covid wards and do not envy dentists at all when they return to work, the close proximity to the aerosol producing procedures is a massive risk. That doesn't diminish the risk to other professions but it's unfair to suggest that dentists are not at such high risk.

Nellodee dentists are still working...

Its probably because there is no known case of a child infecting an adult, and children generally do not seem to get it very bad

I think what teaching staff are worried about is no other (if I'm wrong don't flame me I apologise) worker is told to work in a enclosed room with upto 17 other humans with absolutely no PPE.

And keep getting told, "Well you probably won't die".

I get that @Kitcat122, I just wanted to hear from teachers what conditions would be acceptable to them as it'd help me make my mind up about what's acceptable.

Is it about PPE or waiting for vaccine or reduction of infection/ death rate

What level of PPE would be acceptable? Masks for teachers? What kind of masks? I can't imagine many young children being able to use masks as they'd just touch them and everything else.

I'm just curious because rightly teachers are concerned but I don't know what conditions they are asking for.

Its very difficult. I work in a small old school so personally I would like less children back to start with and see how it goes. Maybe not the little ones initially. But that's just my opinion.

I also get that, and I understand it too, and if I was a teacher I’d want a whole load of PPE to choose from.

But I can’t work out what that is, and if it needs to be the same as others working with groups (nurses on non covid wards for example).

If bring y6 back first and give it 3 weeks

Its probably because there is no known case of a child infecting an adult, and children generally do not seem to get it very bad

But it isn't being said that they won't spread COVID-19, just that they don't often get it badly. So we don't know whether they can pass it on asymptotically.

If they actually have it, it's thought that they will be infectious, but they'll be infectious to their parents, not teachers, as they'll be kept at home.

Where I work we wear these kinds of masks at all times on the wards and then put on a new apron and gloves when going into each side room or bed area. I'm not sure how useful the apron/ gloves would be in a classroom environment (unless having to help a child change clothes etc). Hand washing probably more effective than gloves.

The masks would probably be beneficial in my opinion. I know some children's nurses draw silly smiles etc on theirs. Others find the plastic visors better (the ones you see people making on FB) as their faces can be seen underneath.