That was quicker than I thought......

[Lostinagoodbook]

Child's school opened last week, email about a confirmed case in a child yesterday........ and so it begins. So not brought in by staff having coffee breaks in this instance(can you tell those comments annoyed me lol).

Poverty is also a predictor of risk of covid-19 death.

Do we think children will be more affected long term by blended learning or by their parent(s) being very ill with long covid? Or dying?

The sad thing is, it isn't an either or choice. Schools could be going back with masks, with social distancing, all it needs is money and planning and political will.

I think consistency is better than chaos.

We have chaos.

Agree 100% with this. The government has chopped and changed so much, it's hard not to feel a bit despondent!

Mine are back this week and I'm so worried.

@IloveJKRowling

It is 5 days a week school, 2 in the school building and 3 at home in a structured way with technology which is adequate provided by the state.

I think that 2 days a week in school and 3 days at home consistently is better than full time for a month then no school at all, probably with substandard home school materials because the teachers are sick. Or two weeks on, two weeks off as bubbles have to isolate, or individual kids.

I think consistency is better than chaos.

We have chaos.

Blended learning is bullshit and not going to happen. It’s just extra homework. And I know this because this is pretty much what our school said when they published our blended learning plans. There aren’t the resources and teachers to provide it properly. What you are suggesting is just pie in the sky.

Plus not all schools could have children back 2 days a week and SD. Some authorities in Scotland were only going to be able to have kids in exam years in high school for 4 days every 3 weeks.

It’s a shit sandwich for sure. You want to sacrifice children’s life chances and education to save the elderly and vulnerable. The government see it differently. Time will tell which approach was the least shit.

@MintyMabel

or maybe other people just realise the virus isn’t half as dangerous as it was 6 months ago, and we can’t continue in lockdown endlessly?

It is no less dangerous than it was 6 months ago.

Alternatively, some of us accept that people getting it, including school kids, is kind of just par for the course when there’s an infectious virus around, and don’t see the point in panicking about it.

How fortunate you have that luxury. Will you feel the same when one of your relatives dies?

I don’t have any more luxury than anyone else. People on here post about being vulnerable or having vulnerable family members as if it’s something special or unusual. It really isn’t. I’m vulnerable myself as it happens, so not particularly “fortunate” whatever you mean by that, but my kids still need to go to school and get an education.

And what’s the “when” one of my relative dies? You do realise that (a) not everyone will get Covid in the first place and (b) even for older and vulnerable people, the vast majority will not die. Do you really think everyone’s going to get it and die? No wonder you’re so shit scared.

It doesn't have to be this way though. We have some of the highest class sizes in Europe.

All it needs is some money and school could be significantly better and safer.

The magic money tree was found for the deal with the DUP and the millions wasted on failed PPE contracts.

But not for our kids. I'm so shocked so many people are fine with our kids getting such poor provision just because the government won't pay.

I'm so shocked so many people are fine with our kids getting such poor provision
Agree with this, I don't understand why parents are not more pissed off. People work their backsides off, and we have some of the worst schools in terms of buildings, equipment and overcrowding in Europe.

I'm pissed off anyway.

@MadameBlobby

And what’s the “when” one of my relative dies? You do realise that (a) not everyone will get Covid in the first place and (b) even for older and vulnerable people, the vast majority will not die. Do you really think everyone’s going to get it and die? No wonder you’re so shit scared.

This! Where does this automatic assumption come from that covid means certain death? Also news flash many people do actually die every single day of things non covid related and what ever the circumstances are causing said death not one of them will be a pleasant experience. Most children will experience death in a loved one in some form or another. I hate the phrase commonly used on here "how will my dc feel knowing they brought covid into the house by going to school and it caused Granny's death" fuck me even if it was proved 100% that that was the sole cause for Granny's death why on earth would you let your child bare the burden of that just by simply going to school and being educated?

I don't know where this FEAR has come from! Well I do - it's Social Media! The scaremongering on there in the last 6 months is unbelievable and shows clearly how some people are totally, easily led.

The vast majority of people who get Covid will be absolutley fine after a few days. Same as with Flu. All the people who panic about 'taking covid to their granny' - did you worry about taking Flu to her this time last year? Or Noro? Both killers of old people (and still killing - between 3 and 6 times more flu/pneumonia death numbers at the moment!)

We all die. Most in our late age. The few ones who die younger should not be terrifying us into this state of half-life that some of us are 'living'.

We will all get Covid. Even a vaccine will not protect you for ever, if we can get covid twice. It will only give you immunity for so long - scientists reckon the antibodies 'may only protect for 3-6 months'.

We need to live with this. We need a strong and robust immune system - something that seems to be overlooked in all this. The advice to 'stay indoors', 'exercise for an hour a day', 'only go out once' - how is that building a strong immune system? Get fresh air. get good food, get exercise. Eat healthily and stay a healthy weight. Don't smoke. Take Vit D with K2. Come into contact with 'bugs' and let your immune system fight them offf! That is the way to a healthy immune system.

Don't just sit indoors in a darkened room wrapped in bubble wrap. That will leave your immune system flabby and weak. At the end of the day, it's not gloves/masks/sterilising everything that will save you. It's your Immune system. Make it strong! It is the ONLY thing that will help you when you get this!

I'm so shocked so many people are fine with our kids getting such poor provision this. People seem perfectly happy to let the govt off providing for schools by sticking to the mantra that we can't afford it. We can afford it we just choose not too. EOTHO, agree with DUP deal, failed track and trace and the bounceback loans which are going to cost the country billions. (for those that don't know- to get an unsecured loan for 50k you had to have a business and tick a box that confirms that you can pay it back. No credit check, no financial check, you didn't even need to be registered with companies house.) money for business but not for our children, and don't use the economy crap, these children are the economy and our future.

killers of old people (and still killing - between 3 and 6 times more flu/pneumonia death numbers at the moment!)

Do you have a source for this please?
By my calculations, flu has killed 300,000 less than Covid worldwide this year (so far)

All the people who panic about 'taking covid to their granny' - did you worry about taking Flu to her this time last year? no because she was vaccinated, no because Flu does sadly kill the very elderly but not so many 50+, lots of granny's and parents to young children but the media don't like to talk about them are in this age range. Also excess deaths is not scaremongering.

@Crispycove

killers of old people (and still killing - between 3 and 6 times more flu/pneumonia death numbers at the moment!)

Do you have a source for this please?
By my calculations, flu has killed 300,000 less than Covid worldwide this year (so far)

@Derbygerbil is the one to explain this. Basically even if we all lived in a biosphere alone people would still die of flu as the bacteria in our bodies that normally live happily inside us cause flu when we are very unwell /elderly. So although more people are dying at the moment of flu it's not comparable.

Blended learning is bullshit and not going to happen. It’s just extra homework. And I know this because this is pretty much what our school said when they published our blended learning plans. There aren’t the resources and teachers to provide it properly

Yup

Increasing Covid denial and rationalisation is to be expected as the crisis drags on. The whole situation, and there being no end in sight, is a threat to all of us psychologically. Denial/rationalisation exist amongst a range of unhealthy, but not unexpected, responses.

'get back to normal'
'life is for living'
'just like flu'
Etc. Etc.

edition.cnn.com/2020/08/16/health/pandemic-covid-19-denial-mental-health-wellness/index.html

@Morfin

You explained pretty well. Basically, the drivers behind “summer” respiratory deaths are not generally infection transmitted from one person to another, like influenza or Covid, but are caused by frailty and serious underlying conditions that cause a range of micro-organisms, principally bacteria such as streptococcus that often exist symbiotically with us - we have trillions of bacteria within us naturally - to turn pathogenic.

If we went back to normal tomorrow, hugging and kissing strangers in massive national “Covid is over” parties for the next few weeks, the number of these “summer” respiratory deaths wouldn’t change much at all, similar to deaths caused by cancer, heart disease etc.... However, its very likely that Covid deaths would rocket as they did in March/April... That’s the difference.

Well said @Ptumbi but the doom-mongers on here live off unsubstantiated misery and spread it as much as possible.

Ah yes, doom mongers

I love Covid. This lockdown is exactly what I've been waiting for in my life. My old life, with more money, more fun and full of the theatre/parties/etc., I've exchanged it excitedly for this.

Or maybe, I just believe it's a pretty infectious unpleasant virus, and hope we'll get really good treatment soon.

This literally was not started as a doom mongering thread but as a discussion.It is then launched upon by a cast of usual suspects. It is they who change the tone of threads. Quite deliberately, in order to sneer and diminish.

Agree Piggywaspushed- prepare for the worst but hope for the best is my personal approach tbh and this thread was really just me thinking through implications and hoping it's not a sign of massive disruption to come but a 1 off.