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?

[quote SchrodingersUnicorn]@Haywire children in schools don't wear masks. Teachers and primary age are actively discouraged from wearing them.[/quote]
I already stated that I am in Wales and rules are different my secondary school child has to wear her mask in all of her classes except PE outside. The WAG has left the decision up to each LA and they have passed it on to the head teachers and ours had decided they should all wear them due to the lack of social distancing possible in the classrooms

I tried to teach in a visor and mask today. It left me clawing at my face and I couldn’t do it.
I’m in awe of those who can/do (nhs), I think it’s seriously unlikely that a primary child could do it all day without invalidating it all by touching it/taking it on and off etc...

@CuriousFluff children and staff are not allowed to wear masks or visors anywhere in my school. Our head said they can do this because the government guidance says they are detrimental to teaching and learning.

@haywire

Masks reduce the chance of virus spreading from person to person. They do not eliminate it.

The extent of reduction is uncertain.

@Cookiecrisps your HT sounds like a C*nt

What I’m saying is true. Schools have different approaches to the pandemic so what one person experiences in school could be very different to another.

A visor has been proven to be useless, hence the reason why hairdressers now have to wear a mask underneath if they wear a visor.

@Keepdistance

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.

I thought masks were to protect others, not yourself? I’ve seen absolutely no evidence that a cloth mask prevents the wearer from becoming infected.

I have been wearing a visor to teach in since day 1, as have many others in my secondary school. At the end of each school day, BOTH sides of the visor are covered in spit droplets. I would rather those droplets hit the visor than my face. I know it would be better if I wore a mask underneath. However, I am convinced that it gives my some protection and I feel a tiny bit safer.

I have children in two separate independent schools. Both schools allow masks in classrooms, but do not mandate them. It is certainly not my experience that masks are actively discouraged. The policy is the same in many other schools in my area (London).

I have been wearing masks pretty much everyday since late January as I lived in China until recently. You get used to them. My children are perfectly fine wearing them, even throughout the school day, and they don’t constantly touch their face (as they did in the early days).

I would seriously consider practising your DD to wear a mask at home and whenever out and about (we wear masks outdoors too). Then ask the school why she can’t wear a mask at school. Point out that independent schools are fine with it. There is nothing in government policy that prohibits it.

I would look for disposable ones, they come in child size too and are better at molding around the nose with the metal wire. Having said that, my DCs wear reusable ones with the insert pocket for disposable filters, they find them more comfortable.

Make sure she also practises hand hygiene with all the movements (6 steps of washing your hands).

Visors are awful, I find they distort vision and make me feel anxious. But I will wear one (and have worn one) if necessary.

i have heard of kids having a mask cut off them by the teacher.
Masks are pretty much prohibited at state primary.
A surgical mask does give some protection to the wearer.
We have certainly had less outbreaks in hospitals since the introduction.

Visors are actually hard to wear!
They bounce sound back on you, reflect lights and they ride up.
They need to be worn below the jaw line.

But imagine someone coughing in your face. You are going to be protected from the droplets!
Yes, they will get in around the sides but they all disperse elsewhere too.
Wearing one will reduce that viral load. They are better than nothing but there is no way I could wear one in heat, in a stuffy classroom!
I don't know what the solution is

Curious, because the dfe guidance says schools are safe and masks and ppe are not needed many heads, my own included and the whole of my trust, have said no masks or visors are allowed on premises for staff or students. It's not bollocks. It's very concerning.

@Keepdistance

i have heard of kids having a mask cut off them by the teacher. Masks are pretty much prohibited at state primary. A surgical mask does give some protection to the wearer. We have certainly had less outbreaks in hospitals since the introduction.

Is it a surgical mask you’re wearing around the house?