Chris Witty "We're at the limits of the contact we can allow"

[confusedandold]

I've been watching the Press conference and I always find Chris Witty the voice of reason. He is saying that we are at the limit of what we can open without the virus spreading further and we may even have to take a step back. So where does this leave the opening of schools in a few weeks time?

@TheHoneyBadger

Yep Hear. We’re not allowed to use them yet in my community they’d be great. Village with one secondary and one primary. 3 church halls and a community centre. Each school has a different church hall within a 4minute walk.

Obviously complex issues with staffing and health and safety but they have toilets and projectors and sound systems and are managed by communities very keen to be of help and actually have at least a couple of staff with up to date enhanced dbs clearance due to running children’s church, mums and tots etc.

Actively saying we couldn’t use them didn’t make much sense for our community but it’s too late now in August

In that instance then, yes, it makes no sense for there to be a ban on using those extra spaces.

Where they can be used safely and staffed correctly then government should enable it.

It just isn't the cure all though that a lot of people on here seem to think it is. Maybe government need to devolve these decisions to LAs who know their areas and the facilities available, although I suppose with MATS it makes LA involvement more complicated I guess. There will also be issues with allocating limited spaces and how they allocate so that it's fair to all schools and all children.

What's clear is it can't be "business as usual". By taking that approach government have wasted all of this time when schools could have been planning for alternative provision and had it up and running for September, even if that was busing good on line provision.

[quote 800msprint]@Hearhoovesthinkzebras thanks. Didn't know that. Yes I guess some places won't have availability of extra spaces. I can see it would be nightmare to sort h and s but then this is a nightmare!
I can see it being part time schooling.
My other query is over scientific evidence. It seems that kids are less likely to be carriers. Anyone know if there is solid evidence for this because if so then you would hope opening schools would happen. Back in March we didn't know anything about the virus. We know a little more now. I guess we've not had schools open fully and so can't tell what will happen with 30 kids close together.
I'm burying head in sand till late August. [/quote]
I don't think there is any evidence that children are less likely to be carriers (not sure what you mean by that tbh). There's evidence to suggest that children are far less likely to be severely affected by it (at least from the acute stages) but I'm not sure that there's evidence to say that they aren't infected at the same rate as adults. Indeed, research from South Korea showed children age 10 and up were no different to adults in terms of infection.

I think we need to bear in mind that, certainly in the UK, schools haven't been operating with the normal number of students in attendance and therefore we have no evidence to show that they are Covid safe.

Posting this again

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6931e1.htm?s_cid=mm6931e1_w

I work as part of the response. I’m pretty sure that schools will open absolutely come what may.

They have to. Children are scarcely affected (yes I know vulnerable grandparents are but they can distance in the home if needed). It’s too damaging for children to miss any more education. Bottom line.

I’ve no idea what’ll end up happening to schools. I’d imagine the recent research is giving them massive headaches. I can’t see how school can go back full time given what they now know about the virus and kids. I can’t see them shutting hospitality to offset, given it’s a huge part of U.K. economy, realistically there has to be a shred of functioning economy left for school leavers.

Interested if you work on the response how you don't see the number of households mixing by schools reopening and how you don't also view schools as workplaces. They are huge employers.

It is naive only to state risk to kids...it's about controlling spread and should be about keeping workplaces safe. If schools aren't safe for the workforce, they will ultimately close.

Pubs are half empty and many are still shut. Closing pubs back down is a drop in the ocean.

Heard from a friend in industry Gov has informed hospitality they’ll be allowed back up to 90% capacity soon (currently its 50% I believe).

I very much doubt pubs will close - not sure where this has come from? It wasn’t specifically stated just that we’d have to make choices?

They won’t re-close because furlough is ending, and SD and procedures are high.

Schools are a priority and will open, my guess is the we have to make choices was to calm beauty and indoor theatre etc that had started to see light at the end of tunnel and had it removed.

I reckon government was going to open it all up and Whitty’s statement was to reflect this had changed.

(Unless someone said pubs).

@SkodaOndaroada so... sod all the adults in schools. Great.

Maybe it’s some psychological phenomenon where most parents can’t see teachers as human beings, rather just “teachers” a hang over from school perhaps. You are therefore not afforded basic human rights 😐🤦🏽‍♀️😆

That was probably a wooden 🥄 comment!

Ignore.

We are similar to vacuum cleaners it seems. Useful but replaceable domestic appliances.

Pubs closing I thought at first was a MN thing as in general MN seems anti pub. But the Guardian reports it as Spi-B thinking.

Mind you if there was a massive shortage of vacuum cleaners people would take care of them and not be so blase about damaging them.

I think they’ll sooner shut gyms as they’re far higher risk. As someone pointed out drop in the Ocean though.

That is utter rubbish that grandparents can successfully distance in a home.
1 if care homes and hospitals havent been able to stop it spreading. And they have masks on everyone now.
2 yes the attack rate isnt 100% but that is more luck than managing to avoid it.
3 especially as it is likely airborne being 2m away inside isnt that much help.
4 most homes you cant stay 2m away and lots dont have several toilets.

We had a cold/covid at easter we all got it.
It seems more likely 30%+ of people arent susceptible rather than they avoid catching it.

Halving class sizes reduces risk significantly whereas hand washing may do nothing at all. (After all most people were not washing shopping)
But it would have to be alternate weeks which is less than ideal as if it can stay in the air you cant so morning/afternoon or swap on a wednesdsy etc.

Also airborne makes a big difference to grouping before/after clubs in classrooms. And lunch halls. And toilet rooms.

Even putting plastic see through barriers around desks would do something. With hand washing your hand could be contaminated immediately after and imagining say a pub toilets or any toilets you need to pull the doors to get out even. Many places touch taps to turn on off or handdriers are not all hands free.

I think they’ll not open up the remaining but keep everything open.

How much time we spend guessing what they actually mean

I think they’ll sooner shut gyms as they’re far higher risk
Gyms have been open on the continent since may and been associated with zero outbreaks

sober people getting fit are able to socially distance

Our primary could also use village hall only dfe standing in way. Has been offered. Routinely used for school plays etc anyway.

I'm sick of all this kite flying. The government are obviously testing the waters to see what people will tolerate. I really wish decisions were being made based on our best interests rather than public opinion.

I genuinely don't understand the argument that teachers are being put at any higher risk than those of us sending our children to school?

If someone in my son's class is infected, my son risk of picking it up and bringing it back into the family home is surely no lower than the teacher picking it up?

Given that almost every other industry has been starting to open up and open themselves up to the risk of infection, just why do teachers think they should be exempt?

On the discussion about closing gyms, pubs and other "hospitality" venues, do people mean in selected areas with high infection rates or absolutely everywhere?

Obviously I get why it could be wise in the first, but I'm not so sure about the second - and surely going with targeted closures instead of a blanket approach would help to lessen job losses?

@godsowncountry viral load. Also your son my also only be exposed to say 100 children at school- between DH and I (both teachers at secondary school) it's over 1200.

@godsowncountry also we have no 'Covid secure' workplaces. No PPE, poor ventilation, no distancing..