If the risk to children is so low...

[SistemaAddict]

...why are they still not allowed to play together?
My neighbours are playing outside with another household today. It's nice to see them having fun but neither parents or the children are social distancing.
I keep reading thread after thread where posters say that the risk to children is tiny and yes, they have been less affected but we don't know how many children have passed it on but remained asymptomatic.
If the risk is really so low regarding children then why are schools still closed to most and why aren't they allowed to play together? Am I missing something?

It's nothing to do with the risk to children, it's the fact that if children contract COVID we have got to assume they will spread it all through their households - think what that does to the R value. My kids (6 and 3) are not playing with any friends yet. The 6 yo is back at school (socially distanced) and the 3 yo has done half a day at nursery (not socially distanced). No other parents I know personally are allowing their kids to play together, because the rules say no and they understand the effect this would have for transmission.

@Bercows

I have explained to my children that people are working from home and that they need to be respectful of neighbours in terms of noise and won't tolerate any screaming and shouting anyway. One neighbour has commented that it's nice to hear them playing in the garden and having fun. Any screaming or shouting and they are back inside.

You sound very reasonable and thoughtful, parents like are much appreciated by me. MH issues are helped by loud noises

*Not help even!

It's not about the risk to children. It's about working out how they impact the spread to adults and what impact they have on the overall community infection rate and R

No, they shouldn't (according to the rules) be playing out together (no socially distanced) as that is mixing households.

Scientists are finding more and more evidence that not only are children quite unaffected by Covid, they also believe they are less likely to spread it thank adults

Closing schools was never about children, it was always about reducing infection transmission in the community (either from children to the adults around them or more likely adults taking the children to and from school and mixing)

All of the measures are about reducing community spread and as they get released/reviewed we should see the impact.

@FraterculaArctica I wish more people thought like this.

My children are too young to socially distance so we're not meeting with other families yet.

It would be nice to hear the sound of children playing!

Can't believe people still don't understand this

Neighbour's eldest fell off her bike and hurt her arm so that was the end of that anyway. My dc have asked to play out a couple of times on bikes or scooters but they are all daredevils that like to perform circus stunts on their bikes and scooters and I do not want to any injuries. My cousin went to a&e last week and ideally needed IV antibiotics but the doctor told her it was so bad in the hospital that they would try oral antibiotics again to avoid admission. She's in a real mess with the infection and normally admission who be almost automatic for this illness but the doctor assessed the risk of admission as greater than that of being treated at home. Everything looks so normal from my window dp it's hard to imagine the hospital being so bad. I used to work there and it's never horrendously busy, we always had beds on the wards I worked on, waits in a&e were 3 hours at the most most of the time and hardly any wait for the children's A&e.

The risk of shutting children away without the stimulation and interaction of being with other children is far greater than the risk of covid

says who? What studies have been done on even short term effects of isolating children from their friends (with the internet, skype, zoom and god only knows what other apps and phones as a means of communication) is 'far greater' than the risk of covid? Isn't the risk of losing a parent linked to poor outcomes in the long term? What could possibly be worse than that?

What studies have been done on even short term effects of isolating children from their friends

3 months is not short term.

That is the same proportion of their life as isolating a 70 year old for a year and a half.

It actually blows my mind that you think there isn't evidence that medium term isolation is bad for humans.

Nice try with the "it would be worse if a parent died".

You are saying we should cause definite harm to children to prevent something extremely unlikely from possibly harming them more.

Why not just admit that you think the harm to children is worth it?

This is what people are driven to when the government has still effectively banned social contact for many children. If they’d introduced the household bubble idea it might be more regulated. I can understand why people don’t want to risk harming their the social development of their kids.

Any screaming or shouting and they are back inside

I think you are probably more conscientious than a lot of parents, Bercows.

Some of my neighbours' kids are quite noisy. But there is this great invention called headphones! I just plug myself in if there's too much noise! It's not very often. As long as it's not at night when I am trying to sleep I don't really care.

New cases of Covid are pretty low these days. Assuming both households have been living restricted lives (of course it's different if one parent is a care worker or nurse) then the risk of letting the children play together outside is absolutely tiny.

@VeganVeal were you born a grown up or something? Did you never play as a child and squeal with excitement? Get a grip of yourself! Children have been cooped up for months on end! Normal circumstances If a child never set through the front door for that length of time we would be screaming for social services to get involved because it just isnt good for their social emotional and physical well being.

I do think it's beyond time to move from yes/no to a scale of risk, but that would require something sensible from the governments involved as well as support for those who will be at higher risk than most. Most children seem at low risk, from the evidence so far, but some are at high risk of complications.

I've seen a few groups kids out and about (I live around the corner from a park), most seem at least or near secondary age. I don't think they're any more at risk of either getting or spreading it others than the adults I've seen meeting and talking in groups.

It could be that not enough is known about the serious multi inflammatory syndrome being seen in some Children and caused by COVID.

It could be the risk of transmission.

According to the local news our R rate is 1.1

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/coronavirus-r-number-north-west-18370083

Exactly as I thought so why are so many posters allowing their children to play together?

because there were 6 cases of Covid reported in my council area last week. 1 in over 18,000 people caught it.

The risk to my kids of meeting up with their friends and playing outside on skateboards or filming tiktoks or whatever is infinitessimally small. They know the rules - no hugs, no physical play like wrestling/tag. But they need to be with other kids and playing out side is good for them.

I’m so glad I don’t have young children at the moment. My heart goes out to them, it’s like we’ve gone back 100 years, children should be seen and not heard. They can’t play with their friends, they can’t go anywhere accept the park but no play area, No school, parents want them to be quiet as they are trying to work, now they shouldn’t be in the garden unless in silence. what are they supposed to do? Everyone goes on about how selfish to want to open schools, as we must protect the adults. This is the next generation, our future, we are messing up 😢 This is so wrong.

www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.21.2000903

Nice to see some sensible folk on here discussing the serious effects on the health and education of our children. I am deeply concerned - kids have been thrown under the bus with this. No education, no play, no consideration for their mental health, nowhere to go. It’s appalling that adults can play golf and trot around Ikea but children are being denied their basic rights. They aren’t even at risk!!! It’s appalling. I wish more parents would put their head above the parapet on this. There is so much fear of being criticised and judged. I’m trying to mobilise a local
Campaign but it’s hard, people have fully bought into the fear.

Both the schools attended by my dcs have been doing a great job.
The high school sends my year 8 timetabled tasks to do each day that corresponds to her actual timetable. The teachers feedback the same day. There is a weekly well-being email sent out with links, the PE teacher is doing lessons on YouTube, the school twitter page is sharing achievements, the HT emails a weekly blog, and those who need extra support are contacted weekly by parties care.
The primary is setting work weekly and there is extra work available to do if they want to. I email work in and the teachers reply quickly with a message to the child. Both teachers have phoned to have a chat and make sure we are all ok, not just the two dc they are at the school.
They are amazing and have really shown how much they care about their students and their families. I think they are doing everything possible to make sure our children continue to learn and follow the curriculum.
I know that some other schools have not been as good and lots of students have been left to flounder during this time. Parents wfh are struggling to support home learning and it's very difficult for everyone but some far more so than others for various reasons.
Our primary has several staff who are not able to be in school for reasons that are not known to us and wouldn't be able to fully open.

@ChippityDoDa totally agree with you. I have been astounded by how the basic needs of a whole demographic, for whom covid 19 is extremely low risk and who are vulnerable dependents without voice in this situation, have been virtually ignored.

I too am surprised that more parents aren’t speaking up and lobbying on their children’s behalf, although I know it’s scary to do so and I feel the fear too. I think everyone has just been brainwashed by the media that just focussed on the very low number of cases in children as click bait/sensationalising.

We have wholeheartedly stuck to the lockdown but really I have been appalled by how children have been treated.