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Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?

573 replies

countryroses · 22/08/2020 11:57

Why not ?

OP posts:
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mac12 · 23/08/2020 00:31

@Ritascornershop I got my information re Canada schools from your federal health agency which recommends all children over 10 wear masks. HTH
www.cbc.ca/news/politics/federal-guidelines-reopening-schools-1.5678123

SaltyAndFresh · 23/08/2020 01:53

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

Because cloth masks do fuck all, aren’t tested and will be soaking and touched all day. Kids have been affected enough.

This is utterly ridiculous now!!!!

Don't you understand that just because children have suffered, it won't stop the virus spreading as we all start mixing in large numbers and close proximity. As you can surely see from the school closures on Scotland and Germany, differed or not, without safety precautions children will differ again.

So give face coverings a go or return part time - what's your preference?

SaltyAndFresh · 23/08/2020 01:54

Differ should be suffer.

Ritascornershop · 23/08/2020 01:59

Well @mac12 they can recommend all they like but the delivery of education is under provincial, not federal, jurisdiction, and our province has not yet recommended masks for kids. Locally our district has so far said that they are thinking about recommending them for class change time as the cohorts will likely mingle in the halls. Thus far how schools have dealt with things has been dealt with on a district by district basis in our province and it’s only now the province is actually setting province-wide guidelines. I can’t see a time when the feds would say “this used to be your area to make decisions on, but we’re stepping in”, that would be a big change to how powers are devolved here.

dailygrowl · 23/08/2020 03:20

Masks save lives if you cannot social distance more than 2m all the time and indoors. The success rates that densely populated nations like Taiwan and Hong Kong have achieved in keeping Covid infection and death rates way down and having only minimal disruptions to schooling demonstrate that masks save lives.

Since so many secondary schools and senior schools have been making visors for GPs, nurses, physios etc for free while Matt Hancock has been hanging on to our taxpayers' funds instead of buying PPE with them, it makes sense for the DT departments to continue making visors- this time for their own teaching staff and other school staff. It makes no sense to carry out charitable deeds for others while neglecting your own school. If teachers get ill with Covid and die (like the primary school teacher in Israel did after catching it in her school) or become chronically ill and unavailable to teach, all pupils suffer.
Visors make it possible to teach while giving teachers protection. In some countries, younger pupils have been given washable (reusable) visors to wear at school and this has worked very well in terms of being able to speak and be heard as well as causing less discomfort.

We met four other students, socially distanced and within government guidelines, outside, just before term started. All teens and they were the best at putting their masks on, more so than the parents (only half had masks). People who automatically say secondary school pupils cannot be trusted to behave are clueless about how knowledgeable and sensible teens are. They've had 6 months of either isolation or misery or both. Even daily binges of Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto at home begins to get boring when you can't see your friends or do normal, fun things whether that's school, football or clubs. Others have had their lives thrown into upheaval by GCSE disruptions and watched their older peers being put through hell over the A level.fiasco. They're not about to take risks with their lives. The teens and children I've come across have actually been the most responsible about Covid safety behaviour. Not wearing masks is a bit like not wearing your seatbelt while driving because "it doesn't protect you from every single accident". Yes, it doesn't but it protects you from dying in a lot of accidents. Your "rights" are quite useless when you join the over 42,000 dead from Covid (as the bereaved family members of several high profile Covid deniers in the US have discovered).

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 23/08/2020 05:56

There is no evidence that is how Asian countries have lowered death rates and if there was, they all donned masked from the start. China dealt with it by extremely strict lockdown enforcement and other asian countries were clever enough to act swiftly.

Whilst I might agree that medical masks achieve something, and that a simple cloth mask may possibly help prevent sneeze spread in its first short time of wearing, you will never convince me - unless with a decent study - that the constant wearing of a damp cotton cloth day in and day out is remotely sensible

It is simply a measure to get people back to some semblance of normality. In which case fine - if it cheers you up - but don’t force our kids to succumb to such moronic ideas. And especially not for a virus that will turn out to be the most overhyped mistake of the century with financial implications that reverberate for decades. I’m sure your school must have something better to do than waste plastic?

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 23/08/2020 05:59

salty again you sound hysterical. I wouldn’t even shut the school! I would educate our children properly and let them so sport and music too. The whole thing is now utterly ridiculous. Look at hospital numbers!!! The whole thing is an utter disgrace. The virus is here to stay and we have to be sensible and learn now to live. For whatever reason - and no one agrees why - it isn’t hospitalising people any more. It has turned into another common cold.

countryroses · 23/08/2020 06:47

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-53877292

New WHO recommendation for masks for Secondary age children and teachers.

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countryroses · 23/08/2020 06:48

For teachers, the WHO says: "In areas where there is widespread transmission, all adults under the age of 60 and who are in general good health should wear fabric masks when they cannot guarantee at least a one-metre distance from others. [Over 60, a surgical mask.]
"This is particularly important for adults working with children who may have close contact with children and one another."

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Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 23/08/2020 06:56

The same WHO that decided to collude with China at the start of all this and not release full information about the pandemic until it was too late? The same WHO that blocks Taiwan from joining - I will listen to Taiwan thanks.

countryroses · 23/08/2020 07:17

@calledy Yes - good to listen to South Korea, Taiwan, New Z, Germany, Czech Rep, Hong Kong, Singapore. The world should be listening and watching how they are capably dealing with covid. Extremely low deaths per capita, thankfully.

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Quartz2208 · 23/08/2020 07:30

The WHO link I think brings up the point

Where there is widespread transmission

Teachers should be allowed to without question. Pupils I think should not where numbers of transmission are low but as it increases start wearing them

countryroses · 23/08/2020 07:49

@quartz But I think it’s invisible at an infectious stage. And it is very infectious. Why play firefighter when a simple measure could help.

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Snog · 23/08/2020 08:01

Presumably they would need to wear more than one mask each day?
How many I wonder?
A different one on each school bus and maybe one for the morning one for the afternoon? Is that enough?

mac12 · 23/08/2020 08:03

for a virus that will turn out to be the most overhyped mistake of the century
It has turned into another common cold.

Highlighting these gems. We are only at the beginning. Do not think what is happening now is what will happen in the future. Winter is coming.

SaltyAndFresh · 23/08/2020 08:29

Since so many secondary schools and senior schools have been making visors for GPs, nurses, physios etc for free while Matt Hancock has been hanging on to our taxpayers' funds instead of buying PPE with them, it makes sense for the DT departments to continue making visors- this time for their own teaching staff and other school staff. It makes no sense to carry out charitable deeds for others while neglecting your own school.

Quite @dailygrowl. Where is the uproar over the risks teachers have to take? I know it's not universal but I've been disheartened by the number of NHS workers on Mumsnet having a pop at teachers, many of whom campaigned, made and donated on their behalf. I know there might be some NHS staff who don't agree that teachers should just get on with it without any SD or PPE but they don't appear to exist in great numbers.

Perhaps the support will come when school staff start getting ill and bubbles/schools have to close. Problem is it'll be a bit late by then, because in several cases of MN posters themselves, the ill effects could go on for months and I doubt you'd find many willingly putting themselves back in the classroom, in harm's way, whole they're still unwell. I won't.

SaltyAndFresh · 23/08/2020 08:35

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

salty again you sound hysterical. I wouldn’t even shut the school! I would educate our children properly and let them so sport and music too. The whole thing is now utterly ridiculous. Look at hospital numbers!!! The whole thing is an utter disgrace. The virus is here to stay and we have to be sensible and learn now to live. For whatever reason - and no one agrees why - it isn’t hospitalising people any more. It has turned into another common cold.
Clearly you wouldn't, you're spoilt and selfish and want to demand that everything continues as if there isn't a worldwide pandemic. They will be doing sport. At our school music lessons were included in the key worker curriculum. Tell me though, how would you keep the schools open and delivering a full curriculum if there weren't enough staff present to teach it?

If you won't accept masks, social distancing is the only way to go and that means part time schooling.

Off you go back to Us4Ourselves.

SaltyAndFresh · 23/08/2020 08:40

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

The same WHO that decided to collude with China at the start of all this and not release full information about the pandemic until it was too late? The same WHO that blocks Taiwan from joining - I will listen to Taiwan thanks.
Has anyone ever told you you sound just like Donald Trump?
Kitcat122 · 23/08/2020 08:44

@SaltyAndFresh I work in school and caught Covid just before lockdown. I am just getting better now. Still not 100% but nearly there. I am young, white, fit and healthy. I know I am a minority but I would never have expected to react to Covid like this. I never get ill. Had months off work.

TopCherry · 23/08/2020 09:03

Presumably they would need to wear more than one mask each day?
How many I wonder?
A different one on each school bus and maybe one for the morning one for the afternoon? Is that enough?

Do you wear a different mask in each shop? On each bus ride? All we want is to minimise the chances. 1 mask is better than none.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 23/08/2020 09:08

Yes on this issue I have. The WHO is responsible for thousands of death over this and its appalling it’s not being discussed more.

Taiwan begged the world community to listen and the WHO covered up. Who knows why? But chinese scientists are in hiding.

This is the ONLY thing I agree with Trump on - but is bang in. It’s a disgrace

SkodaOndaroada · 23/08/2020 09:21

It’s an interesting issue masks in schools. Very much a cultural thing and seems to be very emotive here.

Some countries have implemented them in schools now, and some haven’t. It will be interesting to see what happens in terms of infection levels in each country as we go forward.

I’m not sure what I think. Some countries don’t think anything of asking children to wear them and they don’t seem to mind. This is Singapore.

Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?
SkodaOndaroada · 23/08/2020 09:21

Israel

Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?
InDeoEstMeaFiducia · 23/08/2020 09:22

[quote Kitcat122]@SaltyAndFresh I work in school and caught Covid just before lockdown. I am just getting better now. Still not 100% but nearly there. I am young, white, fit and healthy. I know I am a minority but I would never have expected to react to Covid like this. I never get ill. Had months off work.[/quote]
It can happen, however, with any virus. I had that happen to me with influenza and I was only 25. I think a lot of people got out of touch with just how bad many viruses can be Sad.

SkodaOndaroada · 23/08/2020 09:27

New Zealand have done no face masks for primary and encouraged but not mandatory for secondary.

www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-general-public/covid-19-use-masks-community

Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?
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