Shielding to ease next week/end Aug 1

[PatriciaHolm]

This afternoons briefing from Matt Hancock - "From Monday 6 July people who are shielding will be able to spend time outdoors in a group of up to six people including those outside of their household, while maintaining physical distancing. Those who are shielding and live alone or are single parents with children will also be able to create a ‘support bubble’ with one other household of any size. "

Then as of Aug 1, scheme largely coming to an end; people can go back to work if Covid-safe, and help will be limited to local authority/voluntary support.

Pretty much as announced in NI earlier, I think. Not entirely surprising.

My DS is shielding due to Type one diabetes, he works in a supermarket, will that be classed as covid safe ?

It’s not as simple as don’t go back then is it! They need to be paid and have their job secure. Can you really not see what the issue is?
@RightisRight and do you really think shielding teachers not working us the difference between schools opening or not?

*is

Social distancing and COVID safe workplace regulations will probably be different by September for when schools start back.

@Theforest

Our school had a teacher test positive this week following positive from a child in their bubble. No way is it safe enough for those shielding.

There was never any suggestion shielding people should remain at home until the risk is gone. It’s going to be around for a period of time.

and do you really think shielding teachers not working us the difference between schools opening or not?

It is in my school. We cannot open any further to any other year groups, if the shielding staff don’t return. We can’t afford to pay both the teachers at home and the teachers at work, so we either stay with children only coming in part time in September or the government fund both sets of staff. Or shielders return.

@YouReallyAre

I'm a bit confused about the 'bubble' situation. As a single parent I can already join a bubble as I'm not shielding, therefore my contacts have already increased. If my nan wants to create a bubble with me as she's been shielding, can she do this as I'm already in one? If I'd have known this was coming up I wouldn't have made my own bubble first!

No, but I assume if you sack your bubble now, you could bubble with your Nan in two weeks

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

I suspect there will be, if there isn't already, an exemption for schools; there is already no expectation that primary school aged children social distance, for example. Guidance for schools is that PPE isn't necessary.

The definition of "covid safe" is different for schools.

The rules around social distancing in schools is based on risks to children.

This is about risk to shielded staff and students. You can't change risks based on different workplaces. Schools aren't Covid safe, it's just that the risks of students catching it is lower

I was referring to the legal requirements for a Covid safe workplace. In reality, I suspect the situation in September will be that the majority of currently shielded staff will be expected back at work, where ever they work, and the regulations will be that schools are "safe" workplaces.

"Safe" in inverted commas, in the sense that no-where will or can guarantee no-one will ever catch Covid there.

Note, I'm not necessarily agreeing, or saying everyone shielded should be happy to return. Just that the legal framework around them doing so - in all workplaces - is likely to change.

@ToothFairyNemesis

It’s not as simple as don’t go back then is it! They need to be paid and have their job secure. Can you really not see what the issue is? *@RightisRight* and do you really think shielding teachers not working us the difference between schools opening or not?

I suspect it'll be "you can go back now so if you don't feel safe to,, that's on you". So potentially sign off long term sick, peaked towards early retirement etc or people quitting because this is going to be around for years

@JustanotherTuesday why is your DS shielding for type one? That is very unusual. I speak as the parent of a child with type one and he is most definitely not on the shielding list.

I'm in a public facing role and not going to feel safe.

The job is not one you can do behind a screen.

I'm a bit freaked out and may just have to resign.

I would think numbers will go up with the lockdown release and 2m-1m.

I am a GP and type 1 diabetes would not routinely be shielding

This is great for people sheilding and getting chance to spending quality time with people.

But tbh I’ve a feeling in the end the Government will just wash its hands of sheilding people if they can’t go back to work. I think they will lay it on the door step of the employers to deal with.

This virus might never really go away and it might come back again in the winter, This is a long time people could be potentially out of work effecting productivity/education and I think sympathy is already waning with it

I'm so pleased that they intend to look at the multitude of risk factors around an individual, rather than the broad stroke of diagnosis alone, if we jettison up the Nandos chart.

This seems like a very bad idea!
The gov are going to end up sued....
I cant see how a secondary teacher in with thousands could be safe1/1700 is probably a student in most secondary schools. Let alone including parents.
Makes me feel quite angry really.
Gov locked down too late.
Too loose
Let people fly in from infected countries
Will have air bridges
None of this is the fault of shielded and have stayed in (somewhat) not putting up the infection rate.
The vulnerable and shielded are getting teally screwed over.
I can see it's an issue for employers.
But if there will be a vax in 12m say.
So seems more about gov being able to pretend the risk of death isnt as high due to the dexamethasone but if that would have saved 5k we still would have had 35k deaths.

I cant see sept being this low due to everyone travelling about so it will spread to areas with low antibodies.

@mrscampbellblackagain I think it may be because of his job, as he can't socially distance there. He only got the letter to shield from the doctors about 6 weeks ago, so it wasn't at the start. I know somebody else who is Type one and they didn't get a letter at the start but when they queried it, the doctor said they should have been sent a letter in the beginning.

I’m shielding but I have been working from home ( in a job that is not easy to do from home- so it’s taking longer! ). I think I may be able to go back to face to face clinical work with a higher level PPE than my colleagues. Surely if social distancing is not possible then very vulnerable people will need to either continue to work remotely, be put into a safer room or given extra protection - be that a screen or PPE or changing the room set up to allow less risk!

I start a new job in July, and I will be working from home.

But I expect after August I may start getting pressure to attend the office for meetings etc.

It would be nice to know where I stand. Can I refuse to attend? I have blood cancer, in remission, but I have a poor immune system, and colds knock me out, often leading to chest infections, sinus infections and the need for antibiotics.

It generally takes me six to eight weeks to shift a cold.

God knows how I would cope with Corona.

So does this mean it's the end of the Nando scale?

For the most vulnerable only came out at level 1, on the original version.

So does this announcement mean the givernment is now confidently predicting the nation will drop 2 levels on 6 weeks?

Or that it's rowing back from the conditions and milestones?

If your job means you feel you cannot be shielded and your employer public service or private can no longer afford to pay you then they need to let you go so that you can find more suitable work. Teaching can be high risk with lots of lurgies never mind covid.

@Newjez you might like to listen on BBC Sounds to the 10 o"clock news prog on Radio 4, they just had the Chirf Exec of the blood cancer charity on - must have been on about 15 mins from the start.

Or that it's rowing back from the conditions and milestones?

Just making it up as they go along, really.

the Chirf Exec of the blood cancer charity on
That’s Gemma Peters of Blood Cancer UK. It’s a charity which has been quite active very active in trying to elicit a proper explanation of what ologies actually means, and making a fuss when they didn’t (they and a handful of others did a lot about supermarket delivery slots back when it was clear supermarkets word sac were not matching their actions)

So potentially sign off long term sick He specifically said that shielders wouldn't be eligible for sick pay.

Does anyone know if we are still getting an individual letter to say if we/family member still needs to shield. They were to be sent out before 30th June. Are they still being sent- for various reasons I had high hopes for/needed mine..