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.

Yes the plan released today says no PPE should be worn in schools. I am asthmatic and want to wear one when I return to school.

1,770 road deaths in the year ending 2018. 650 of which involved alcohol. Roughly 50,000 covid deaths so far.

@TiredMummyXYZ ok we disagree.

OP, at the risk of being a bore, I say this on every thread now, make sure you are fully topped up on vitamin d (and your kids too, my sons were deficient) it wont stop you catching it, but considerably lessens its effects, as will everything that strengthens your immune system, ie exercise, good diet. But vitamin d in a 40'year old woman can go awol. 2000iu a day, or at least 1000iu.(25mcg) is important. Google nhs vitamin d. Or google mumsnet vitamin d.

The poster who mentioned working with germ spreading children - yes, but you are teachers so you knew you’d be exposed to health risks everyday?

Or do we have another group who say “Ooh, I never thought about infectious disease before, I’d have chosen differently if I’d known”?

I’m baffled how many posters seem to be completely unaware of how many illnesses do the rounds normally. At some point, they were all new.

Maybe they should screen kids regularly? Masks won’t work but something needs to be done to address the worries of the teaching staff. There is a lot of worst case scenarios being quoted here the vast vast majority of kids in asymptomatic households will be negative for Covid especially seen as the numbers are reducing and if they started to increase the schools won’t open. There would have been way more Covid around before they broke up.

That's 50,000 deaths in roughly 2 months. 1000 non alcohol related car accidents in 1 year. 50,000 x 6 = 300,000. So, I am very, very roughly 300 times more likely to die of covid than in a car accident. I put my seat belt on every time I get in a car. I put my mask on every time I go to a supermarket.

I do get sick of people telling me that I don't understand risk and comparing covid to getting in a car.

OP I get it. I resigned from my job as TA a month ago. I saw where this was going and I'm not prepared to put myself and my family at risk for my £9 an hour job. I loved my job, I was good at my job, but I was made to feel ridiculous by my HT for wanting to practise social distancing. You tell me of another job where you are expected to give cuddles, wipe noses, be sneezed on, have fingers covered in saliva wanting to hold your hand, without any PPE and a 'don't be hysterical just get on with your job' attitude.
I am lucky, we don't need my income to survive, but others are not so lucky and are expected to just get on with it. Fuck that. Its Unacceptable and I'm not doing it. I can also now home school my own children whilst my DH works away from home. Zero regrets.
Best of luck to you OP.

The masks are not recommended in schools. Think about it, if they recommended masks, they would have to provide them. They cannot do this, there are not enough. The masks are needed for care homes and NHS, which are much more risky situations.

It does not say you cannot wear a mask. However, if you wear a mask, you will make it more difficult to communicate with the children.

Contact the school and ask if you can wear a mask, as long as you provide it. They might say yes - panic over. If they say no, explain that you are very worried about being without a mask in the classroom. Talk to your school and read the words in the guidance- don’t panic and jump to conclusions. When you know the situation, make a decision and live with it!

3% is a ridiculous stat.

If masks prevent spread then that prevents contracting it.

I would get a male friend to phone the school posing as a journalist and ask the question why aren`t staff allowed to wear masks, they will take notice of that. Or just phone your local paper and get them to ask the question, anonymously if you like.

LilacTree1 how relevant is that? You're comparing colds and maybe 24 hour sick bugs to a potential killer. Nobody in schools - the op said she was a TA incidentally, not a teacher - signed up to be exposed to that.

Oh my christ ... how on earth will society function again when people cannot comprehend simple statistics? 3% chance of dying? FGS. No.

@nellodee not everyone drives cars so the numbers will be lower obviously . Millions of the population can't or don't drive. Every single one of us can catch Covid. I thought the latest figures were 30,000 where did you get 50,000 from?

I’m a year 1 TA and first aider so guess who’ll have all the unwell children sent to them? HT is in denial. Dreading it.

Where are you getting 3% from? Utter nonsense. Under 45s have a minuscule chance of complications.

ONS figures, based on excess deaths.

There’s no easy answer for teachers and assistants. If you feel it’s too risky then you need to resign.

This isn’t going away anytime soon.

I love all these, don't be silly, under 45s have next to no risk. I was unaware the retirement age in the UK was so low.

The fear is out of control now. People really need to study the stats and rationalise them.

Most teachers at my school are 50-60.

No, I’m comparing stuff like pneumonia which nearly killed me twice. Could happen to anyone. This is after I had the jab. People die of flu after the jab.

If that’s on your worry list, being a teacher is an odd choice.

If teachers want their jobs replaced by software, as far as I can see, they are going the right way about it.

Good article here re a sense of proportion about risk

andrewlilico.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/a-sense-of-proportion/

All the research talks about children not really passing this to the adults in their households/families. But what if you have a class of 15 children, where half of them have the virus but are unsymptomatic? How does that work for the adult in the classroom considering there will be a higher viral load for them?

There are a couple of high profile paeds docs and the ex CEO of Teach First posting about this on Twitter, citing all the current research - but it is all about families not catching it from kids. I've asked them directly to address the issue above, but none of them have. The most I've had is 'this is the science' from other folk desperate to get children back to school.

It's not ALL the science, and it might affect my health. We already know that schools are going to have to say to parents 'we can't guarantee to keep your child safe' (because they can't), so they have to say that to us too. That issue needs to be addressed by unions under Secion 44.

The infection fatality rate is 0.5-1%, and at 40 much lower. But I understand your trepidation. Masks should be optional for all.

🙄 suggest you start looking for another job as I'd be worried if a teaching assistant had such dramatics in the school my child is in!