Wear a face mask at school drop off?

[user1470659997]

Will you wear a face mask to drop off or pick up the kids on the school run? It’s going to be chaotic enough in the playground especially with rubbish weather.

You are supposed to wear a mask when you cannot keep 2m apart, so maybe in some schools this is the case.

I'm with you @Time2change2

My whole opinion on living has changed.

What the actual fuck is wrong with people.

I will be, because my daughter goes to special college and a lot of the children have underlying conditions. If it helps even the tiniest bit, why wouldn’t I try to protect others. If it turns out that they don’t protect, them no harm done, but if it turns out that masks do protect others, at least I’ve tried.

Depends where drop off is. We aren’t even allowed to be in the playground, and have staggered drop offs. It hasn’t helped much - the parents are probably closer than ever :/
I think a mask is reasonable If for any reason you may come close to others, it just depends on your school set up

At my child's small size over crowded central London state primary school only pupils are rightly permitted through school gates and on school premises. Parents are only permitted up to the gate but not to congregate nor loiter and must be (well highly requested at least!) masked up. There are staggered arrival and departure timings for different year groups. So far no compulsory face coverings for pupils but as it's central London and over crowded with obviously no physical possibility of social distancing (unless only a quarter or third attend in person). I suspect many pupils will sensibly be masked up in school as normal in most overseas nations with serious Covid risk management strategies and resulting better Covid outcomes. Being a so called desirable outstanding (though personally outstanding just means acceptable quality and any less is not ideal) school we inevitably have usual issues with a quarter of pupils from families who have gamed the entry requirements system with annoying dubious tricks including fake family and friends local addresses or short term rental within the rightfully small local catchment area etc. Due to obvious pandemic medical risks I hope those traveling from their actual homes way outside the catchment area dragging their young children onto daily rush hour super busy commuter TfL shared mass public transport (to ensure weakest Covid link!) will be masked up for their own safety if nothing else. I am hopeful that the school will be open initially for at least a couple of weeks before the inevitable happens and closures or further schooling disruptions due to incubation of Covid or pupils playing invisible Covid tag on the trains and buses on the daily commute and so cancelling out all other Covid mitigation measures imposed within the over crowded mass gathering school bubble. We are local like most families as it's only a quick and short quarter of an hour walk each way plus we do not pass countless local or closer schools unlike some of the long distance long journey time commuters on hop on hop off TfL trains and buses. School staff have been mandated to walk, cycle or drive and avoid shared mass public transportation for obvious reasons. PPE for staff is possibly not compulsory but given our circumstances and location it would be foolish for teachers to expect to be protected from school community transmission especially as it is mostly asymptomatic and there is no compulsory repeat and rapid testing to track and trace. We naturally will not have shields around desks or other classroom Covid measures as found commonly overseas. It is going to be a school health casino and so I expect disruptions but hopefully no fatalities to staff or other family relatives. It only takes one to be a super spreader!

@blueskies20 stop catastrophising. The coronavirus act was passed months ago and no children have been ripped from their homes to be tested.

Here's the full fact page about your claim fullfact.org/online/children-coronavirus-act/

My dd school recommends a mask for outside drop off and pick up, not sure why?

Because of the crowding situation.
Even with staggered starts in a larger school you are going to end up with dozens of parents stood outside in a relatively small area at the same door with no chance of any SDing.

For each of our possible doors we have up to 60 children using them, and we only have 2 possible playground gate entrances. So that's the same amount of parents accessing them over half an hour. Social distancing won't be possible - it wasn't really possible during last term with far fewer pupils as it was.

Most of our parents are just happy to have their children returning, and want to keep schools open where possible. So most appear to be happy with arrangements and keen to do anything that will help the school remain open, even if it means a bit of discomfort to them for a few minutes.

Fuck no.

My dcs school has asked that parents wear masks to drop off and pick up...
They are doing staggard drop off and for some reason 2 out of 3 entrances are shut forcing everyone through the same gate.

I've been the only parent wearing a mask at drop-off for my daughter's kindergarten (not UK), during a period when it wasn't required (it is now because we had a case at a school in our town where some of the children's siblings go), mainly as a signal that this isn't over yet and I am willing to take my responsibility seriously and protect other people. Because people were getting very lax here.

Tbh, I don't understand the entrenched resistance to masks in the UK (although there are also people here who seem to have a real resistance to wearing them properly, as if it were emasculating or something ).

Further to other posts debunking the woefully garbled reference to Section 21, here is the exact part of the Emergency Powers Act:

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/7/schedule/21/enacted

If activated, it means that people can be required to be tested, and depending on results, isolated; and that they can be compelled to comply.

This would include DC, if ever activated. But as made clear in the fullfact report that references the children's commissioner: a parent, guardian, other carer or responsible person would be present for children.

“ I've been the only parent wearing a mask at drop-off for my daughter's kindergarten (not UK), during a period when it wasn't required”

So not the only country where people are resistant to wearing masks when not mandated then

mainly as a signal that this isn't over yet and I am willing to take my responsibility seriously

@DeepTreacle

“ I've been the only parent wearing a mask at drop-off for my daughter's kindergarten (not UK), during a period when it wasn't required”

So not the only country where people are resistant to wearing masks when not mandated then

I never said that. I see people all the time here with 'mask deliberately positioned to end just under nose'. But the sheer anti-mask rhetoric has been very noticeable in the UK discourse.

I don’t understand wearing one as a signal. Surely if you wear one it’s because you think it may protect others from contracting the Covid you may be carrying? Not to make a point.

We have been told the the school Highley recommends that all children 5 and over and adults wear a mask in the school playground and while children are going into and out of school.
We still have staggered times to go in as well and a one way system.
If it helps then I'm all for it.

@Kaktus

I don’t understand wearing one as a signal. Surely if you wear one it’s because you think it may protect others from contracting the Covid you may be carrying? Not to make a point.

It's (obviously) both. I (again obviously) wouldn't wear it if I didn't think it protected anyone. But it also, for me, made a useful point when everyone else around me was thinking 'TFFT this is over now and we can get back to normal', including dropping distancing, starting to shake hands again, etc. etc.

Well it may be obvious to you CatteStreet but it (obviously) wasn’t to me, as if it wasn’t I (obviously) wouldn’t have asked

My local huge primary has had enormous problems at pick up and drop off wrt social distancing of parents.

They attempted to implement staggered timings, used several entrances and other measures. It has been horrendous partly due to the physical geography of the school- narrow jitty areas for access for example. Parents not sticking to time schedules, dropping off by more than one adult, hanging around and chatting has made matters worse.

This is absolutely a situation where common sense would suggest mask wearing would help reduce risk. But no one is wearing one, because they don't HAVE to. Seems ridiculous to me.

“ But the sheer anti-mask rhetoric has been very noticeable in the UK discourse.”

Has it? Are you in the U.K. then?

[quote TorysSuckRevokeArticle50]@blueskies20 stop catastrophising. The coronavirus act was passed months ago and no children have been ripped from their homes to be tested.

Here's the full fact page about your claim fullfact.org/online/children-coronavirus-act/

[/quote]
haha, i'm catastrophising? and what do you call the over reaction of lockdown and closure of schools and shut down of all businesses and closure of children's playgrounds, and cancellation of operations and 2 million people waiting endlessly for cancer treatment and older people in care homes being euthanised - I think that was catastrophising personally.

Take your masks off people and stand up for your children's rights, we are complying with tyranny.

Totally agree blue skies

Bad enough the government let us down but now it seems parents are actively giving up on their kids rights

@DeepTreacle

“ But the sheer anti-mask rhetoric has been very noticeable in the UK discourse.”

Has it? Are you in the U.K. then?

I normally reside and work in central London but currently still in hibernation in a Covid safer locality. I can confirm that having witnessed and seen with my own eyes throughout the UK and speaking remotely with friends and family from Edinburgh to Gibraltar via the Chanel Islands that in mainland UK especially English provinces it is noticeable that many do not wear or out right anti face coverings even through in indoor (buildings and public transportation) non social distancing settings (apart from eating and drinking) it is a mandated obligation with criminal laws and associated penalties but basically many think they are invincible or pro herd immunity (despite multiple reinfections reported globally) and don't have any self (nor family) protection ideology or simply could not care less and think despite the global economic collapse that it's all joke and fake news. This is the difference between our UK European record sad Covid fatalities and infection numbers with daily deaths compared to nearly all other nations and their better Covid outcomes as they evidently take Covid health and safety seriously. Some in the UK feel entitled and exempt from Covid rules which are common sense and commonplace globally accepted best practices even though all combined Covid risk mitigation measures are just that ie to save lives. People rather take a risk than take all normal Covid mitigation measures seriously. Unfortunately that is not an option for 50k UK Covid victims. Human rights are to some Brits apparently more important than possibly live and death even though the only ask is to simply repurpose a piece of clothing and cover ones mouth and nose occasionally and temporarily as a respectable acknowledgement of the presence of someone outside your household bubble in spitting distance.

Well gosh. I reside and work in England, am out and about on a daily basis and can count on one hand the number of people I’ve seen who aren’t wearing face masks in places where they are mandated. How strange that we should have such different experiences (well mine is experience, yours is anecdote). I know a couple of people who detest them but wear them anyway (fine) and a couple who cannot wear them so don’t go in shops/museums etc as they don’t want to be shamed for not wearing them.