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Original poster

Schools going back are you wearing a mask on school runs

98 replies

Watford1990 · 12/08/2020 07:09

I'd just like to know if your planning on wearing a face covering on doing the school runs whem they kids go back in 2/3weeks time. I'm starting to feel incredibly anxious about it all with the latest rise of cases and people not social distancing!!!! Everyone acting like theres nothing wrong in the world!!! We strongly feel that were not out of the safe zone. We've been very much at home and social distancing still with all family and friends . ...

The school my kids go to is small and how they have planned it into 4 smaller groups so that all 250 pupils will go back within 4 x10 min different time slots at drop off and pick up. That will be 62ish kids going in/out with parents all together through one way in and out another I just can't see how this is going to work social distancing mainly with the adults as they all hang around and natter and I'm really getting concerned about it.
Considering whether i should be wearing a face mask.

Kids will be in reception and year 2 (when daughter was in year 1 she went back for the few weeks and it was really good but there was only 8 kids going in at once and so wasn't overcrowded...... please your views???

OP posts:
AlwaysLatte · 12/08/2020 08:00

I just won't be getting close to anyone, so if I have to wait for a clear space I will, same as in the supermarket except without the mask. Or we might let him walk as he's badgering us to and we let his brother at the same age.

Drivingdownthe101 · 12/08/2020 08:00

I’ve never ‘huddled’ with anyone on the school run! And as they’re doing staggered drop offs and pick ups I can only assume I’ll have even more space to not huddle when they go back.

Friendsoftheearth · 12/08/2020 08:02

No, no need.

TW2013 · 12/08/2020 08:03

I won't be because after 11 years I am giving up the school run 🎉🥂. Ds is going into yr6 so I am no longer required!

Brown76 · 12/08/2020 08:04

No I won't be, I will be outside and school has asked us to not to hang around outside chatting. I might walk and talk with another parent though. If you have completely social distanced I understand you are likely to be feeling nervous and just wear a mask if you wish.

cologne4711 · 12/08/2020 08:05

I don't know why you would wear one outside.

Or in your own car unless you were giving another child a lift.

If you are using public transport you have to wear one anyway.

wagtailred · 12/08/2020 08:07

Drivingdownthe101 - huddlng isnt compulsory so it doesnt apply to you. But working in a school throughout the 'lockdown lite' many parents were huddling in groups towards the end of term and were taking the children to the playground straight after school and continued to huddle.

Rhayader · 12/08/2020 08:09

Good luck to teachers of little ones identifying parents in the playground!

I have to park in the shopping centre for my kids school (we won’t be taking public transport as we normally do) and it’s the law to wear a mask in the shopping centre. I have to walk through the shopping centre to pick up my other kid from the other school site as well so I’m going through it 3 times per pickup/drop off so I may as well keep it on rather than fiddle with it constantly.

hellofromcornwall · 12/08/2020 08:10

I recently went to Somerset and they were amazing at social distancing and wearing masks!

....Compared to Cornwall anyway Smile

We’ll be social distancing and wearing a mask on school drop offs because many people have asthma that peaks in September.....

ChaBishkoot · 12/08/2020 08:10

Yes. Because where I live it is mandatory to be masked outdoors and has been for months. You step out, you wear a mask and get fined. In 3 months in my very very large very densely populated US city in the North East I have seen less than ten people unmasked (in 3 months). Our numbers are low, our schools are reopening fully with precautions:

  • cohorts and bubbles
  • hand washing
  • temperature checks
  • everyone above the age of 8 in masks
  • mask free time for kids
  • teachers in masks or visors
  • immediate testing for anyone with symptoms
  • two weekly testing for teachers
  • plenty of outdoor time till winter hits.

I have to say I find the anti mask hysteria on MN utterly baffling.

EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide · 12/08/2020 08:12

I wear one in shops even if they don't enforce it. But I will not wear I've in the school yard because it seems pointless. For my two dc to go into a class full of 30 children and not wear them or sd, then come home to bring whatever they picked up. If it's in the school yard they're going to get it anyway. If schools do definitely go back full time with no sd then we might as well scrap masks and sd everywhere else. Makes no sense.

ChaBishkoot · 12/08/2020 08:12

And we did two months of summer camp with teachers and older kids masked. My 3 year old would walk to camp masked, but was unmasked in the camp and walk back masked as per the rules. The kids had zero problems and the teachers had absolutely no problem identifying anyone or communicating with parents.

My friends in South East Asia who have been masked and back at school since March say the same. Only on MN do masked people become unable to hear each other, identify each other and what not.

ChaBishkoot · 12/08/2020 08:13

*get fined if you don’t wear one I should clarify.

TheGreatWave · 12/08/2020 08:16

I don't do the school run (I might do the first couple of days before I go back to the office) , DH does. He has severely limited where he goes anyway, so no way on earth would he wear one for the school run.

WhoWants2Know · 12/08/2020 08:18

It would make sense on my school run. There's only pavement on one side of the road, so it does make a scrum of people travelling in both directions in a small space.

BillieEilish · 12/08/2020 08:19

I certainly will as I have to as I live in Spain and we all do, without issue.

Temperature taken on arrival too.

Like a PP, in the last 3 months I have only seen a handful of people without masks. Why would you not wear one if there is a chance it may help?

Yes OP I think it is a wise and very unselfish thing to do. You will protect others and yourself.

Sossen · 12/08/2020 08:20

No I won’t be wearing a mask. We have been told to wear them indoors and that’s it.

Drivingdownthe101 · 12/08/2020 08:20

@wagtailred

Drivingdownthe101 - huddlng isnt compulsory so it doesnt apply to you. But working in a school throughout the 'lockdown lite' many parents were huddling in groups towards the end of term and were taking the children to the playground straight after school and continued to huddle.
Ok. I’ve never seen adults ‘huddle’ so I guess I was just a bit confused. At our school they stand around and chat, but with a decent amount of space in between them. Mine both went back to school in June and adults kept a 2m distance at all times at pick up and drop off.
Lindy2 · 12/08/2020 08:24

I don't think I'll be wearing a mask outside but I do intend to keep my distance and be in and out as quickly as possible.

If I felt that I was in a crowded situation though and I wasn't able to safely distance then, yes I would put a mask on.

noheatwaveplease · 12/08/2020 08:27

No because we walk to school outdoors Confused

WhatwouldRuthdo · 12/08/2020 08:31

Nope. The school has staggered drop off and pick ups, with a queuing system. I’ve seen it working well, although with much smaller numbers, over the last few months while taking my year one DC in. And it’s outside.

GeordieLass01 · 12/08/2020 08:33

@SengaStrawberry I think you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

NameChange84 · 12/08/2020 08:40

I think it’s only sensible to. Especially with cold and flu being so prevalent in the Autumn Term. Limit your chances of spreading and catching anything to/from other parents. Some people seem oblivious as to how to social distance, if they’d bother to wear a mask it makes your risk of being infected lower than if they weren’t. As other countries with lower transmission rates are encouraging face covering at pick up and drop off I’d be inclined to follow their lead.

Pesimistic · 12/08/2020 08:53

Depends how busy it is, as I will have to walk back passed others to get out after dropping my son off, this is down a path with school fence one side and residential fence the other so literally next to other adults and children and I'll be in my 3rd trimester

SengaStrawberry · 12/08/2020 08:54

Nope, didn’t get out of bed the wrong side at all, I’m in a great mood as schools are back here. I’m just fed up after 5 months of “no one else is doing Covid right except me!” posts we’ve had on here.