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?

Even getting a test isn’t always that quick. The nearest permanent drive in centre to me is two hours drive away. That’s a four hour round trip with a potentially sick child and not being able to stop anywhere. There are mobile drive in centres but they don’t always have appointments free and not at weekends.

There is the postal test but it takes a day to arrive and can’t be sent off on a Saturday afternoon or on a Sunday as the post isn’t picked up then. So if you miss the Saturday morning post you have to wait and post the test on Monday morning.

Doing the test is also awful on a preschooler. My son screamed and thrashed about, had to be held down for it.

There is the postal test but it takes a day to arrive and can’t be sent off on a Saturday afternoon or on a Sunday as the post isn’t picked up then. So if you miss the Saturday morning post you have to wait and post the test on Monday morning.

Yep-postal test was requested to be sent out to my DF on a Friday afternoon. The rest arrived Saturday, first possible collection time was Monday and it was collected at 11am. Results came by email Wednesday at 4pm.

There's new guidance today, my head is fried. I've just had a message from a parent at DD school looking for childcare as she's just received notice that the after school club will not be reopening. I am the only childminder that covers that school so my phone is going to be like a hot potato. Parents and the childcare sector are being terribly let down.

@glitterelf

There's new guidance today, my head is fried. I've just had a message from a parent at DD school looking for childcare as she's just received notice that the after school club will not be reopening. I am the only childminder that covers that school so my phone is going to be like a hot potato. Parents and the childcare sector are being terribly let down.

What new guidance has come out today? Is it the usual clear as mud stuff?

I'm with you all in terms of seeing how difficult September is going to be. I'm a secondary school teacher who is teaching 3 of the 5 school bubbles. I predict some challenging times ahead!

@Youreatragedystartingtohappen You've got it bang on. It doesn't matter how many times you read it nor how many times they update it, it's mind boggling.

DH and I have saved lots of annual leave to cover this situation. No annual holiday abroad so cancelled our holiday and assume we will use the time covering sickness. Also no doubt youngest dc will be off with chicken pox!

@Letseatgrandma I see you’ve had a similar experience - so if a child came down ill on Friday and gets test results Wednesday afternoon that’s potentially four days off school/nursery and four days off work for a working parent.

Updated autumn return schools guidance was issued late yesterday:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools

The government guidance makes it pretty clear that any symptoms mean you self isolate for 7 days, and makes no mention of a negative test result:

[[https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools
www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools]]

If anyone in the school becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, or has a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), they must be sent home and advised to follow ‘stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infectionn’, which sets out that they must self-isolate for at least 7 days and should arrange to have a testt to see if they have coronavirus (COVID-19). Other members of their household (including any siblings) should self-isolate for 14 days from when the symptomatic person first had symptoms.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

If you have symptoms of COVID-19, however mild, OR you have received a positive COVID-19 test result, the clear medical advice is to immediately self-isolate at home for at least 7 days from when your symptoms started. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You should arrange to have a test to see if you have COVID-19 – go to testingg_ to arrange.

But then the NHS testing bit says this:

[[https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/what-your-test-result-means/
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/what-your-test-result-means/]]

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
• you were not told to self-isolate for 14 days by NHS Test and Trace – if you were, see what to do if you've been told you've been in contact with someone who has coronaviruss_
• you feel well – if you feel unwell, stay at home until you’re feeling better
If you have diarrhoea or you’re being sick, stay at home until 48 hours after they've stopped.

I am worried about the school run. DD's CM has said that under the current guidelines only 6 being able to gather outside and this includes the school run. My CM has more than that so unless it changes she can't collect and take DD to school