Bit desperate - considering visor in school

[Yoffel]

Not even sure if a mask or face visor would be allowed for children in primary school at the moment.

Would it make any difference?

DD started with a cold over the weekend, developed a consistent cough by Monday. Spent hours trying to book a test, drove a couple of hours to test centre, almost made her puke when I swabbed her.

Test result negative - brilliant, but the thought of doing this every time she or DS pick up a cough makes me want to vomit out of my eyeballs. It’s been completely disruptive, had to take emergency leave from work to spend half a day driving to and from the test centre, hours refreshing on the website. That’s of course if you can get a test at all - the alternative being that the whole house isolated for two weeks. May as well be lockdown.

Thinking of sending her back with a face shield to try and minimise picking up infections. Even if it’s not Covid it’s a massive PITA.

What are your thoughts?

Visits are pointless without a mask. They protect from splashes only.

A visor won't stop her picking up anything.

You need a mask and a visor.

Oh.

Bugger.

They are a bit like wearing a bobble hat with your bikini to keep warm. It will help in a bit in that you won’t get splashes in the eyes but you are much more likely to breath corona virus in so absolutely pointless over all.

I'm made to wear one at work in a school. It is completely and utterly useless.. I had a student coughing in my face all day the other day. They have gaps under and around. They protect you from absolutely nothing

Has anyone found a mask that is not uncomfortable to wear for lengthy periods? Not hopeful!

My masks from gap felt ok. Ive just been through very similar and thinking along same lines.
I wore my mask for 3 days between dd having a temp to neg result.
Im probably going to catch it anyway but that's probably because i didnt wear the mask before she had symptoms.
My neices are wearing them in ny.

Also dc wore one for the hour round trip to the test.
My concern would be around snack and lunchtimes where would they put it?

My daughter (12) has to wear mask in all classes, corridors, on school bus, canteen etc. as we are in Wales and different rules in different LA areas. She still caught a nasty cold within 3 days of starting back so I am wondering if the protection afforded her is a fair balance against the negatives of wearing it in class.

I bought some cotton ones from Amazon which are so wear for a few hours at least.

Masks don’t protect you from getting the virus. They stop other people catching it from you.

Why did you have a primary aged child swabbed first what sounds very much like a common cold? This is why we don’t have enough tests.

Because she had a continuous cough pinkpirhana11 and OP was abiding by the guidelines 🙄

@PinkPiranha11

Why did you have a primary aged child swabbed first what sounds very much like a common cold? This is why we don’t have enough tests.

It's right there in the OP: her DD developed a persistent cough.

So did my DC. Who I have also just had swabbed today.

There's NO WAY to diagnose 'a common cold' vs CV-19 as the symptoms can be the same, particularly as CV-19 is often mild in children.

Thank you Lockdownfatigue and Nosquirrels.

Thank you also those who have made constructive contributions and suggestions.

Looks like me (and millions of other parents following the current guidelines) are going to have to rely on the testing system being improved then.

Bugger.

@Numbersarefun

Masks don’t protect you from getting the virus. They stop other people catching it from you.

Yes that's true but they were all wearing masks in her class of 30 so who did she catch it from? Maybe at lunchtime when they don't have to wear them (outside)I guess

That might depend how well they cleaned the school.
Adenoviruses can live on surfaces for 3m.
Everyone focusing on what kills covid forgetting other viruses that will lead to coughs and temps

Or sharing textbooks not all schools have enough

@Haywire children in schools don't wear masks. Teachers and primary age are actively discouraged from wearing them.

Visors are not worth the plastic they're made of. Where do you think the air you breathe from behind a visor comes from? You need the filter of a three if not your layer mask. Visors have been scientifically proven as useless.

Four not your

@Haywire children in schools don't wear masks. Teachers and primary age are actively discouraged from wearing them.

Bollocks. Not in my school or any other school I know of.

All I can suggest OP is measures to try to stop a cold turning into a cough:

• sleep propped up so snot doesn't go into chest
• encourage child to blow nose rather than swallow snot
• plenty of fruit & veg and maybe supplements, and plenty of sleep, to ward off colds as much as possible

It’s rubbish but this is all we can do I think