Winter, childcare and covid

[kirinm]

I'll begin this by saying yes I appreciate we are in a pandemic and yes I appreciate the seriousness of what is going on. I've been wfh since March, haven't been on a bus or train since the day I left the office and haven't been to a massive supermarket.

My DD went back to her childminders in late May / June - whenever it was that they were allowed to reopen. She now has a cold which in a childcare setting is a near daily occurrence especially in winter. No cough or temp though so she is okay to go. CM assistant however developed a cough over the weekend and she is now off and waiting to receive a test. As a result, childcare is screwed for at least one day this week. It's a pain but we appreciate this is going to happen. But it just dawned on me how difficult it is going to be managing work for anyone who has a child in nursery / childcare once the winter cold season hits.

We are going to be in and out of self-isolation like nobodies business! I have been fortunate enough to have kept my job and avoid furlough but if childcare is sporadic over the winter, I'm not sure how flexible work are going to want to be.

Not sure what the point of the post is really but I'm really concerned about how things are going to work once those first coughs and colds start coming.

If someone tests negative, do they still have to isolate or once the negative result is back, they can go back to work? Does that remain the case for any others who are having to self-isolate due to being in close proximity?

God knows how it's going to work.

Last winter both my kids seemed like they were sick constantly. My daughter would pick up a bug nearly weekly in nursery!

I'm a teacher so would pick up bugs from my kids etc...

So as a teacher too.... I could be insolating constantly with my kids!

If everyone needs to isolate if they get any illness.... Then we could end up with another lockdown 🤦

Only thing that could solve it is a vaccine.

Or, relaxing of rules of isolation?

Maybe if there was quick tests given to schools to check kids that had symptoms then that could help... If it's just a cold... Back to class....

I'm also very worried about it. Two children in different schools and work in Early Years.

@kirinm I agree it is going to be a nightmare. But remember if your child gets a cough then they will be able to get a test and if it is negative then they will.be able to go back to childcare, so it is only a day or 2 off not the full 2 weeks. Same if your childminder gets sick, they will have a test and you'll only need to isolate if they teat postive. Tests are generally coming back within 24 hours now, often much quicker. I wouldn't be surprised if testing is even quicker come winter and it will be ramped up.

@Yetiyoga I thought that, but have learned this evening that even with a negative result you can't automatically go back, details on this page: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/what-your-test-result-means/

[quote Yetiyoga]@kirinm I agree it is going to be a nightmare. But remember if your child gets a cough then they will be able to get a test and if it is negative then they will.be able to go back to childcare, so it is only a day or 2 off not the full 2 weeks. Same if your childminder gets sick, they will have a test and you'll only need to isolate if they teat postive. Tests are generally coming back within 24 hours now, often much quicker. I wouldn't be surprised if testing is even quicker come winter and it will be ramped up.[/quote]
That is not the guidance for school children, I’m very surprised it’s so different in childcare settings. Do you have a link?

@labyrinthloafer it says so long as everyone tests negative you no longer need to self isolate but if feeling unwell then to stay at home until you feel better. I assume that means too unwell to be at work, no?

@Appuskidu see the link that the poster above you posted :)

I can't believe that no-one (government wise) is addressing this very real issue?

I've been saying for months that I'm going to struggle (2 primary aged kids and one just going into nursery) with symptoms and isolating.

Only thing I can hope is that I can continue to WFH for the foreseeable? Going to broach it in the next meeting.

[quote Yetiyoga]@labyrinthloafer it says so long as everyone tests negative you no longer need to self isolate but if feeling unwell then to stay at home until you feel better. I assume that means too unwell to be at work, no?

@Appuskidu see the link that the poster above you posted :)[/quote]
I don't know @Yetiyoga, it was discussed on a thread (this one, another one? There are so many!) that schools don't want people back to spread symptoms, so you may want to ask your school before it occurs.

It could be a while before the whole family have tests back though, as you have to wait for symptoms before you get a test.

I don't really understand how if a pupil gets a positive test, test and trace dictates that all their contacts should self isolate for 14 days, but the school 'bubble' they've been in doesn't count as contacts and doesn't have to close?

@labyrinthloafer I honestly don't know then. It does say this:

You do not need to self-isolate if your test is negative, as long as:

everyone you live with who has symptoms tests negative
everyone in your support bubble who has symptoms tests negative

So i take that as, child A may have symptoms and dad. Child A and dad get tested straight away, comes back negative, all back to work.

But i honeslty don't know. I am no expert and I tried to find a clear answer on the gov website but I feel as though all the advice is contradictory 😭

and I tried to find a clear answer on the gov website but I feel as though all the advice is contradictory

@Yetiyoga - getting clear advice is what schools have been praying for since Easter. Instead we get ever changing 60 page documents of guidelines which often contradict what is being advised outside of education.

@Frlrlrubert

I don't really understand how if a pupil gets a positive test, test and trace dictates that all their contacts should self isolate for 14 days, but the school 'bubble' they've been in doesn't count as contacts and doesn't have to close?

Yes, that is due to the special Covid-repelling force field that Gavin Williamson has put over schools!

@Letseatgrandma 😂😂😂

There is going to have to be something put in place so that if it is a common cold then they can be tested and if negative they can return. Mine get every cold going, I could be off work for 14 days every couple of weeks potentially it is neither realistic or sustainable

@Letseatgrandma hahaha!

@alaskathunderfuck exactly. I can work from home but not with a toddler in the house. And my DP is self-employed and he can't just not work for two weeks on and off throughout the entirety of winter. Testing is going to have to be quick and reliable and everyone in the household should be allowed back to work / childcare if the test is negative.

I think that if a child has symptoms and a negative test, they can return to school when the temperature is normal (though would be sent straight home again if the temp was only normal because they’d been Calpol-ed up!).

The problem comes more when there has been a positive test in someone your child has been in with, eg. in their class. The class may well be closed and even if your child tests negative, they can’t come back until the end of the self isolation period which is 14 days. I think. The teacher would’ve SI as well so there would be nobody to teach them all, even if your child was a KW and they’d tested negative.

Even if the test is a 12 hour turn around it's going to have a massive effect on schools where teachers are parents of young children (5/8 in our science department) with us missing a day to get the test and wait for the result - where previously we would have taken turns with partners or called grandparents to cover the 24/48 hour exclusion from nursery/school for an off colour/random temp child.

That's assuming no one tests positive. We could very quickly have staff shortages - which obviously would have a knock on effect for parents of pupils.

I'm really glad I'm not in charge right now!

Reading the guidance it says if the test is negative you can return 'when well', and that other household members don't have to isolate.

I might be wrong but I think isolating will be while you wait to see if any symptoms develop. Isn't testing only if you have symptoms?

I have no idea how it’s going to work on a practical level! I teach secondary school and most of the time will power through various coughs and colds with lemsip (as do most of my colleagues). It will be a nightmare with absences, as obviously we can’t do that. My DD is starting school, my DS is cared for by grandparents. I get a headache just thinking about it all!

I'm a childminder and I'm dreading what's to come. The current advice is that if a child displays symptoms they must be collected and self isolate for 7 days and the family for 14 days, even with a negative test they must complete the 7 days isolation from when they first displayed the symptoms as they could still develop the virus during that period.
Schools cannot request evidence of a negative test either.
I've worked throughout and I'm doing everything in my power to keep all the children and families who use my setting safe, however the reality is that I can only do so much once those children go home I do not know where they are going and who they are mixing with.
I then have to think about my family and the risks they are potentially open too. Eldest works in a supermarket thankfully not in a customer facing role. Husband works in waste management and does have to face to face meetings with the public.
Then to throw into the mix my youngest returning to school and my brain is fried as I've juggled all the above without too much disruption but little miss going back to school will increase our need to self isolate and impact all those families who use my setting.
I know things could change before September but I'm honestly dreading it, I'm dreading letting parents down and I know they feel the same too. I'm hoping that my business survives because I've seen far too many other settings close.

Yup. I think it hasn’t dawned on people yet what a nightmare it’ll all be. I just keep hoping there will be some kind of instant saliva type test they’ll develop to make it easier on everyone.

The current advice is that if a child displays symptoms they must be collected and self isolate for 7 days and the family for 14 days, even with a negative test they must complete the 7 days isolation from when they first displayed the symptoms as they could still develop the virus during that period.

I think that is only the case if the person with symptoms has been in close contact with someone who’s had a positive test though. If they have symptoms, test negative and the symptoms have ended, they can return to normal.

Mine usually get the normal runny nose and maybe a cough but rarely get a temp with a common cold. On occasion they have had other viral infections that cause a temp, cough and runny nose though in which case they would definitely need tested.

I have no issue with testing or showing school results if it means little disruption

What is clear, and the government have been very clear all along, is that the guidance is very clear, and it is clear that we all know exactly what we are supposed to do in all the different situations.