Children and teachers have been thrown under the bus, haven't they?

[ReadTheData]

Can I please urge all of you to write to your MP about this?

The government have had months to prepare and in only the third week of September they have failed already. They have not kept up their end of the bargain for opening schools safely.

Taking two weeks off every time for symptoms is not feasible for children, working parents or teachers, especially in the winter term.

They're deflecting blame to the few that have taken unnecessary tests, but the number of people who would choose to take this horrible test or put their children through it for kicks, a laugh, or whatever, are surely few and far between. And it's a nightmare getting a test anyway! So I don't believe that propaganda for a minute, the government are doing everything they can to wriggle out of it.

I'm sure no parent wants their child to be part of some kind of sick experiment - and I'm sure teachers don't want to be thrown under the bus either. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the teachers went on strike over this.

Please stand up and shout about this to anyone who will listen. I want my children to get in education this year and I want children, parents and teachers to stay safe.

How come we fight an invisible virus if we don't even know how many cases there are? The government need to get their shit together instead of lurching from one disasterous decision to the next.

Are private schools just removing positive child?

At my daughter's private school. One child tested positive and the whole year group is now quarantining.

Ah yes, a chemical engineer who promotes Atkins-style diets. That’s who I want to take public-health advice from during a pandemic. Not from epidemiologists

I got it from the twitter feed of Carl Heneghan. Care to dismiss his input too?

@MillyMollyFarmer why try to belittle someone else by saying they are panicking. They make a valid point by saying that children should have to do the full quarantine just like everyone else. If children didn’t catch and spread Covid why are they included in the government’s ‘rule of 6’ in England?

Some of the comments here are irrational, with respect to the risk to them. The intention isn’t to belittle, but it is frustrating a lot of our freedoms are being given away due to panic and fear, rather than a rational assessment of risk.

Cookiecrisps The poster responding was belittling me and the video, shared by a professor of evidence based medicine who is highly respected.

@EmpressoftheMundane

Are private schools just removing positive child?

At my daughter's private school. One child tested positive and the whole year group is now quarantining.

Ok thanks

Going back to pp about part time and SD meaning we wouldn’t do this, I don’t think that’s the case

So the disruption we’ve experienced would have happened if children did half day morning / afternoon session. Community cases plus colds etc would have been identified in first week, sent home and need a test.

Each smaller bubble would have closed and overall fewer in school hours

That’s not to say it might not change as the weeks go by but the initial testing / disruption would have hit even with ‘planned part time’ start

It’s better that school testing is re-prioritised in the next couple of days

I’d really like to know what the bar is for sending children home.

Is it a cough, or a persistent, new, continuous cough?

Because it’s supposed to be the latter.

With respect, how can you know what an individual’s risk is? Many people are clinically vulnerable or live with people who are so they have every right to assess their own risk and ask questions in their work place.

None of us know how our body will interact with Covid until we’ve caught it. Many people have suffered with long Covid symptoms and have issues with breathing when they were previously fit and healthy and they are not recorded on the hospital stats as they weren’t all ventilated yet have still suffered badly.

@MillyMollyFarmer I wasn’t intending to belittle you, only to point out that the person who made the video you shared was not an expert in the field. My apologies, I should have been less flippant. I may disagree, but I shouldn’t have been rude.

How many child deaths have there been? Surely that should be the primary concern?

• Going back to pp about part time and SD meaning we wouldn’t do this, I don’t think that’s the case

So the disruption we’ve experienced would have happened if children did half day morning / afternoon session. Community cases plus colds etc would have been identified in first week, sent home and need a test.*

@MarshaBradyo I don’t follow your reasoning here. Can you explain?

Many people are clinically vulnerable or live with people who are so they have every right to assess their own risk and ask questions in their work place.

True. I made an assumption that a person would be shielding if high risk and they might not be.

I had Covid, not hospitalised, and it did take longer to get rid of final symptoms like breathlessness. But that, to me, isn’t a reason to close everything and burden the young with the fallout of this, or to interrupt the education of millions of kids. I am very concerned with cancer patients, the heart attack increase in private homes since this..., things like that. As I said, I just think it would be beneficial to look at the whole picture and assess everything and try not to live in fear of this. Our collective panic also contributes to decisions that get made.

How many child deaths have there been?

None in the Uk without major underlying health concerns. I might have it wrong, I thought it was less than 10 in total.

That’s fine TheLastStarfighter I shouldn’t have been so sensitive. The video was shared by Carl Heneghan though, and widely discussed by scientists of all kinds of specialities.

@MarshaBradyo

Part time wouldn’t have stopped early disruption although halved community cases coming in. But the other half would have been at home, unless it was lurking then afternoon sessions - would have been same number coming in as a positive.

Not true. There would have been fewer numbers in the school at any one time so they could have socially distanced. I think the situation is dire. Thankfully as a teacher in Scotland we havent had as many cases as England [but it was lower in the community] We have still have schools close but i have no idea now as there is no reporting of them now which infuriates me.

Is it a cough, or a persistent, new, continuous cough?

It's coughing a lot for more than an hour or 3 or more coughing fits in 24 hours.

Schools are more likely to pick up on the first one.

@TheLastStarfighter

* Going back to pp about part time and SD meaning we wouldn’t do this, I don’t think that’s the case

So the disruption we’ve experienced would have happened if children did half day morning / afternoon session. Community cases plus colds etc would have been identified in first week, sent home and need a test.*

@MarshaBradyo I don’t follow your reasoning here. Can you explain?

I’ve had a glass of wine so I’ll try ; correct me if I’m wrong! (I’m sure someone will)

The issues we are facing are due to low number of tests not lack of SD

So if we had gone back part time, as many are saying should have happened, then we still would have faced same disruption in first week

I’m the morning one half of class comes in and roughly one half are still positive

Same again in afternoon session

Each time the positive case shuts that bubble

The same number of tests are required overall so still experiencing a lag

We may see different issues arise but part time isn’t a cure all, and wouldn’t have been in first week

How many child deaths have there been? Surely that should be the primary concern?

Are you ignoring all the adults who work in schools? You are, aren't you?

So no deaths and people feel they have been thrown under the bus?

People need to take as step back and look at the actual numbers and statistical risk here. More risk of being killed in a car crash on the way to the school?

We can not have a perpetual lock down, this virus, will not go away, it has been around for quite some time it appears.

@noblegiraffe

How many child deaths have there been? Surely that should be the primary concern?

Are you ignoring all the adults who work in schools? You are, aren't you?

Not forgetting no, but do you genuinely want to lock down the schools until this virus goes away? If so, you will be waiting a while.

Whether you catch it now, or in 6 months, it will still be here.

Not true. There would have been fewer numbers in the school at any one time so they could have socially distanced.

SD doesn’t prevent bubbles closing with a positive case. Private schools can SD and still close year groups.

but do you genuinely want to lock down the schools until this virus goes away?

Fucksake, why do people keep touting this as the only possible other option?

Watched that video from Ivor what's his name. Then this video dissects the arguments in it which is also quite interesting

mobile.twitter.com/juniordrblog/status/1305861383607771137

@MillyMollyFarmer in that case I am much more likely to take a proper look.

@MarshaBradyo In Scotland the assumption was 2 consecutive days per week rather than half days but (more relevant) that kids having enough room to properly distance would mean very few close contacts, so no “popping of bubbles” and therefore far fewer tests. Might be different assumptions in England though.