Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?

[countryroses]

Why not ?

I haven't read the full thread so I don't know if anyone has posted about about home school agreements Re compliance and excuses not to wear masks. I work in a secondary school and have been advised this week that when the children go back they will have to wear masks in between lessons only.
A new temporary home school agreement has been drafted stating that they will be expected to have a mask and bag to keep it in every day.
I'm not sure what the teachers will do when faced with a load of students who aren't wearing masks.

France. Masks mandatory in school aged 11 and up. Possibly further announcements from french government next week.
www.thelocal.fr/20200813/france-reveals-its-plan-for-the-return-to-school-in-september

Thailand. Masks and boxes!

I work in a so-called "prestigious" public school and everyone is required to wear a face covering.

Austria.
Started off with masks in schools but now changed to ‘only outside the classroom.’ www.vindobona.org/article/austria-introduces-traffic-light-system-as-schools-are-reopening

I wonder how useful a teen wearing a mask for 5 hours, unable to not fiddle with it (cos they're kids) and removing it to eat and drink/play sports, actually is.

[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]
That's shit, and is exactly what I worry about (though some posters conflate worry with hysteria). Hope you cope OK with the full return.

"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."

You are not usually in a shop or on a bus for 6 hours.

No, because they are utterly pointless.

I think wearing masks at lesson changeover only is likely to be more risky than wearing them all the time or not at all. We've been led to believe that contamination from touching masks is the reason UK governments has been reluctant to implement them, so I think it needs to be all or nothing.

Secondary schools should have gone down the route taken by universities and combine small group face to face teaching with large group online teaching.

The government should have been spending these months ensuring universal access to broadband and laptops for all children.

Finland. No advice to wear masks in schools but have heard interview with one parent that some vulnerable children might wear them.
thl.fi/en/web/thlfi-en/-/thl-recommends-face-masks-to-protect-others-hand-washing-and-safe-distances-are-the-most-important-means-to-prevent-coronavirus-infections?redirect=%2Fen%2Fweb%2Finfectious-diseases-and-vaccinations

Czech Republic: masks mandatory in schools but not the classroom (!)

english.radio.cz/face-masks-return-czech-republic-schools-reopening-8689548

France has also brought in masks for workplaces too I believe

I have no issue with masks in school providing the same rules are applied to adults in the workplace

Otherwise it’s the kids carrying the can for the adults who still go the gym the pub and eat out at the weekend

My life is now 100% normal. I go to work daily - no masks. I go the shops most days, I’ve been the gym 3 x a week, I’ve been on 2 holidays and I meet friends for food each week. I’m even going indoor skiing next week 🤷‍♀️

The thought of kids wearing a mask all day whilst adults can do all these things freely (all but 1 without a mask) makes my blood boil

For what it’s worth I don’t believe they work and think they were only brought in to give the worried well the confidence to leave the house

Some people have developed health anxiety which will cripple them for years going forward

Germany. Masks in schools compulsory but they can take them off when 2m apart.

www.dw.com/en/germany-schools-coronavirus-masks/a-54542195

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/21/coronavirus-iurope-dozens-schools-report-infections-berlin-germany-spain

I would rather go without other things like theme parks, holidays, museums and restaurants to enable children to be at school without a mask. I drive to work and don’t need to wear a mask in my office. My DS has an hour journey to school by public transport where he will be wearing a mask. So would be in a mask while wearing glasses for 8.5 hours a day.

@barbites that video is a shocker!!!!

My life is now 100% normal. I go to work daily - no masks. I go the shops most days, I’ve been the gym 3 x a week, I’ve been on 2 holidays and I meet friends for food each week. I’m even going indoor skiing next week

@Vinoonasunnyday do you sit shoulder to shoulder with 30+ other people, with he door shut, then swap to sit with another 30+ people six times a day?

You also rather patronisingly diagnosed me personally with health anxiety. I have perfectly valid concerns about returning to the conditions I describe above; otherwise I too am getting on with life as normal, so no medal for your valour I'm afraid.

[quote SymoneT]@SaltyAndFresh there are some people on here who think everyone else who doesn’t agree with them must be insane.[/quote]
Yes, you might call it gaslighting in a different context. Fuck em.

@IndeoEstMeaFiducia I agree lots of virus's can course long term health issues but they are not pandemic at the moment Covid is. Kings College estimates approx 10 possibly upto 20% of people have long term affects, including children, (not necessarily life long) but this needs to be considered when risk assessing the work place including schools. It's not about death which is very unlikely for everyone even the vulnerable.

@SkodaOndaroada if some of those photos are how schools are going to be this term in those countries, notice how far apart the pupils are sitting. That is not the case in this country and we don’t have masks either.

But we don't breathe out that forcefully @barbites
What would have been interesting would have been if he had shown the effect of coughing while wearing the different types of masks.

Well yes I will when lessons start in couple of weeks. Our lessons are returning as normal. I will try to social distance from learners but they don’t need to social distance from each other

It’s not perfect but they’re not strangers to me

I’ll be seeing same faces everyday compared to down the pub or at the gym

In my area there have been no admittences for months so no I don’t think we should have all the restrictions we have in place for something that isn’t harming that many

You can’t atop all getting it and we have gone too far

Nhs has capacity

Kids will get blame next month tho when cases rise I guarantee it - not the fact the worlds opened up and more parents have gone back to work

Or the fact most people tested aren’t even ill

But still we being in masks for indoor places to protect people getting sick

Sorry but that’s ridiculous we dont do it for any other illness