No social distancing outside for under 12’s Scotland

[StinkySaurus]

Why is Scotland introducing it? Why isn’t England? Where is the data to show the risk of spread from children?

It would make life so much easier if it could be implemented throughout the UK ....

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-53264974?__twitter_impression=true

Yes it would make life much easier!

Oh I hope they do that here! I don’t make my DD socially distance anyway but it’d be nice not to be breaking the ‘rules’ 🙈

I hope they do it too. I’m also wondering what the data is for risk of spread.

Sturgeon is being guided by Devi Sridhar whose general approach is ‘suppress the virus in order to prioritise children’. Hence why they’re relaxing things for kids while also mandating face masks in all shops.

Sounds sensible! Children do seem forgotten about. No one has mentioned playgroups/ baby groups/ toddler groups.

I think it is because they have done a U-turn on schools in August - from blended learning to full-time school so there is little point in saying children cannot mix 🤷🏻‍♀️

@KatySun good point. It’s hard to know what policies are based on politics and which ones are based on evidence....

@KatySun it wasn't a u-turn it called having a contingency. Worst case scenario it would be blended learning. However as the vast majority of Scots have done the right thing and behaved like adults the virus is being suppressed enough that it's much more likely that schools will be able to go back full-time.

If people in England did the same the same would be true for England.

Oh that's wonderful, I'd love them to introduce similar in wales! My poor daughter hasn't played with another child since March.

I hope that means playgroups can go ahead come September in England...if we follow Scotland’s lead.

[quote Raffleyourdoughnut]@KatySun it wasn't a u-turn it called having a contingency. Worst case scenario it would be blended learning. However as the vast majority of Scots have done the right thing and behaved like adults the virus is being suppressed enough that it's much more likely that schools will be able to go back full-time.

If people in England did the same the same would be true for England.[/quote]
It absolutely was a u turn. Schools were all planning for blended learning with no talk of full time learning. It was even said that blended learning could be for the full year.

Even John swinney in his live q&a the week before said blended learning from August. Then a week later, it was back full time, as long as the numbers stay low. Final decision will be late July.

We have had that for a while now in our state in Australia. Kids don’t need to distance from each other or adults so no issue with school, teachers, sport etc. It’s because they are not great transmission vectors. Our stars did not go up when this came into play so it has merit.

I hope they do that in England soon. My toddler is an only child and misses proper play dates

This will be interesting for ds and his friends as they're a mixture of 11 and 12 year olds .

@HoppingPavlova

We have had that for a while now in our state in Australia. Kids don’t need to distance from each other or adults so no issue with school, teachers, sport etc. It’s because they are not great transmission vectors. Our stars did not go up when this came into play so it has merit.

But they are on the edge of closing schools in Melbourne and some other areas of Victoria, aren’t they?

The key is in community transmission outside schools being really low. If you can get everyone else using masks properly in public you can probably get infections low enough that schools can go back and won’t need to be shut back down again.

I don’t think it’ll work in England.

They did this on Switzerland too (in bubbles mainly) months and months ago. Such a good idea. I don’t know why we don’t look at what other countries are doing and follow here. They have done the research behind their decisions.

How refreshing to prioritise children and then make adults be more careful. We are doing the opposite. Open all the pubs but children still can’t go to school.

It is great but also inconsistent.

So my DS can run around with 7 friends but cannot enter a shop without a mask. There is far, far more likelihood of transmitting the virus via this continual interaction with friends and by extension their families than there is in Asda when you are merely passing people.

And I can't imagine some teachers are happy. They are being told it is OK to be in classes of 30 without any SD while no one can enter a shop without a mask - even if it is half empty or SD restrictions in place. And people can also congregate in pubs without masks soon.

Go figure

@pigoons

It is great but also inconsistent.

So my DS can run around with 7 friends but cannot enter a shop without a mask. There is far, far more likelihood of transmitting the virus via this continual interaction with friends and by extension their families than there is in Asda when you are merely passing people.

And I can't imagine some teachers are happy. They are being told it is OK to be in classes of 30 without any SD while no one can enter a shop without a mask - even if it is half empty or SD restrictions in place. And people can also congregate in pubs without masks soon.

Go figure

Yes there is some inconsistency. But I think it’s about trying to make space for children to play with each other, which is so crucial for their social and cognitive development. Even if that may carry risks (I don’t think children have been ruled out as vectors for transmission). Going to Asda is a transactional activity,

Raffley as tigger says, it was a u-turn. If it was the contingency, why is the only information I have from my children’s schools for blended learning and why did they say the day after John Swinney’s announcement that they would update us when they knew more? in other words, the council and the schools did not have a plan for full-time learning and as far as I am aware at least, they stil do not - at least not one which has been communicated to parents.

There was parental uproar at children only being in school a couple of days a week, and the government did a u-turn to full-time with blended learning as the contingency.

Not the subject of the thread, but I do not have a problem with starting off with blended learning and seeing how it goes. I would rather that than full-time and then the schools close again if there is a spike.

But they are on the edge of closing schools in Melbourne and some other areas of Victoria, aren’t they?

Yes, but that’s odd and few agree with Dan on that one. There’s a lot of political posturing there and no science.

We have the odd case popping up here and there in schools but this was expected from the beginning. Tracing has shown that a child in school who is infected is not transmitting it inside or outside of the school (to either kids or adults), so what’s the point in shutting schools. They shut for a day to give things a wipe then back to business as usual. No increase in numbers or outbreaks due to this and kids get their right to a proper education and life without threat to others.

Shielding does not pause until 1st August, and even then previously shielded DC are meant to keep,at a distance.

Which guidelines will have precedence in Scotland?

Will there be any ongoing support for DC if the (de)shielded rules take precedence, as those medically exceptionally vulnerable children become ever more socially excluded because of the ongoing need to isolate?

@KatySun it was a contingency. I have been working on the planning side of things since April. Of course John swinney kept talking about blended learning, it was so we didn't do what the English have done, sttop behaving and lost control of the virus. Unfortunately there is a lot of people who don't see further than their own nose.

I hope they do this in England soon - my 5 year old would really benefit.

I wish I lived in Scotland tbh, I would rather have kids playing than pubs opening.