Teenagers in cluster from house party at Coatbridge

[Nellodee]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-53804140

So it looks like 14 school aged teenagers (it's not clear if they are all school aged, but it sounds like at least 8 are) have contracted coronavirus through being at a house party.

It seems pretty obvious to me that older school kids can both contract and transmit Covid. This does not sound at all like adults passing the virus to kids, this sounds like a super spreading event caused by lots of teenagers indoors in close proximity.

It doesn't matter whether this was in a kitchen, or a school corridor, or if the kids were passing a cigarette, or a lip balm. It makes no odds.

Of course it does. The specifics of the setting are a key factor. Social distancing of 1m, relatively large air spaces and surfaces cleaned, hands washed/sanitised regularly will make schools less of a risk than a group of teenagers in a small space with nobody prompting them to wash their hands etc.

I'm not suggesting that there is no risk in schools, I just don't think you can assume that it will automatically follow.

@Hmmph

Don’t worry, schools are magic antivirus places where Coronovirus doesn’t transmit...

This is correct, opening schools will definitely be fine...

@IsaLain

Oh FFS. No one said primary kids dont catch it. We've said they dont seem to be spreading it. They dont seem to have as high a viral load, they dont seem to be passing it on to other people as much.

Wrong.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/children-often-carry-more-coronavirus-than-adults-study-67785/amp

That's a relief. It must have been the alcohol so there's absolutely no chance they could have spread it in a school setting hmm

What do you propose exactly? Some teenagers get pissed at a party, social distancing goes out the window and this is grounds not to reopen schools?

I think that to do something as drastic as keep schools closed you need more evidence than simply comparing two different things.

Social distancing of 1m, relatively large air spaces and surfaces cleaned, hands washed/sanitised regularly will make schools less of a risk than a group of teenagers in a small space with nobody prompting them to wash their hands etc.

@CrunchyNutNC what social distancing? And how do you think 1250 students will wash their hands between lesson crossovers?

How is it fair to expect kids and young people to give up their social lives and education indefinitely for a virus that doesn't make them ill on the whole?

Do people honestly think that older adults would uncomplainingly do the same for them? Stop all their clubs, their work, their social contacts, visits, travel...? For something that barely touches their age group?

There is going to be no social distancing in schools. There isn't the space.

dontforgetthebubbles.com/evidence-summary-paediatric-covid-19-literature/

This site is a good summary/literature review of the studies which have been carried out so far. More meaningful than looking at individual studies in isolation.

Concludes (among other things) that staff to student and staff to staff transmission is more likely than student to staff. I hope teachers will be wearing masks in the staffroom.

What about the teenagers passing the virus to teachers?

No-one is saying schools shouldn't open, but by their actions they are possibly closing the schools.

@HesterShaw1

How is it fair to expect kids and young people to give up their social lives and education indefinitely for a virus that doesn't make them ill on the whole?

Do people honestly think that older adults would uncomplainingly do the same for them? Stop all their clubs, their work, their social contacts, visits, travel...? For something that barely touches their age group?

You can't have it both ways. They can't socialise freely and expect schools to stay open when staff become ill because they're spreading the virus. What's it to be?

@SaltyAndFresh

Social distancing of 1m, relatively large air spaces and surfaces cleaned, hands washed/sanitised regularly will make schools less of a risk than a group of teenagers in a small space with nobody prompting them to wash their hands etc.

@CrunchyNutNC what social distancing? And how do you think 1250 students will wash their hands between lesson crossovers?

They're going to be sitting more than 1 metre apart aren't they? There will be hand sanitiser available won't there?

What do you propose instead @SaltyAndFresh ?

They are going to be sitting next to each other, some schools won't have desks than can be 1m apart

@CrunchyNutNC

[quote SaltyAndFresh]
Social distancing of 1m, relatively large air spaces and surfaces cleaned, hands washed/sanitised regularly will make schools less of a risk than a group of teenagers in a small space with nobody prompting them to wash their hands etc.

@CrunchyNutNC what social distancing? And how do you think 1250 students will wash their hands between lesson crossovers?

They're going to be sitting more than 1 metre apart aren't they? There will be hand sanitiser available won't there?

What do you propose instead @SaltyAndFresh ?[/quote]
Do you honestly think they can sit 1m apart? It's not possible. I used to work in the NHS and we were only allowed to use sanitiser instead of soap and water twice in a row.

@SaltyAndFresh what do you propose then?

How are they sitting more than 1m apart. There will be no social distancing in school.
The problem being those who want things to go back to ‘normal’ because they have had enough.
If we go back to ‘normal’ schools will close.

I think people snog and dance and share drinks at house parties. This is less likely at primary or even secondary schools....

Is this how the Primary school children have got the virus @leafeater?

crunchynut sitting 1m apart 😂, and if it's 1m which it isn't then it has to be 1m+ which means masks, which are not allowed.

And don't forget a well ventilated room @Morfin, with those windows that don't open!

@ineedaholidaynow , no this is how the teenagers at the house party that caused the original cluster the OP linked to caught it.

1m apart? have all secondary school classrooms been extended over the Summer? 30 kids plus teacher all having 1square metre space each???

@mrshoho it's the magic don't you know. Don't forget the teacher has 2m not 1m

At our school there’ll be far far less than a metre apart. Then there’s a row in front and behind far less than a metre too.

Open with them more than 1m apart is what if prefer. I think some of us share views more than we realise.

Young people (and their parents) can’t have it both ways. For schools to open and remain open, social distancing and following the rules needs to be happening now so infection rate stays low. I can image the outcry if the government do a u-turn (another one, how many would that be?) and schools don’t open full time due to increasing infection rates. “My child’s life is being ruined” “They are being denied an education”. Many young people will have themselves to blame but their selfishness will affect many more.