School Covid Testing Fiasco Latest

[Oaktree55]

So I’m reading that as a result of the testing fiasco they are rationing tests. Teachers are I believe No 5 on the priority list but children aren’t listed at all, which I suppose means zero chance of a test within 250 mile radius. Whatever your view on school opening this goes against the letter signed by CMO which stated testing is a prerequisite for schools operating safely.

How is this going to work now? Kids isolating for 14 days as they cannot be tested? Parents sending sick children in even more?

What an utter mess!

I did think teachers would get on but not students.

Do you have the full list?

Parents sending in sick kids, no one is going to keep their child home for 14 days unless they are really ill.

Lots of teachers getting positive tests and classes/schools closing on and off.

I understand the outrage at this but if there aren't enough tests currently then there aren't enough tests. It would be hard to argue that school kids are higher priority than doctors/nurses/care homes etc.

It's shit (and I'm stuck at home with kids right now waiting for test results) but I don't think I disagree with the groups that have been prioritised.

Ah. Well I asked the school for leave for temporary home schooling as we had been shielding. But no! it was essential that DC came in.

Then he got covid symptoms and needed a test, so I applied on line.

There was no box to check that said "school student" but there was "essential worker". I therefore checked "essential worker" as it had been essential that DC was dragooned into school. In a pandemic. And genuinely, it seemed the only available option there.

And of course, from Boris' previous comments, schools are supposed to be able to get tests.

I thought they had just written the form really badly, like everything else about the process, which seemed very poorly designed.

Then for the other boxes, there were a number of no option applies answers you could give, so I gave them.

I did also give date of birth, so it was obvious DC was still at school if it was read by a human being, and I had to ring up to ask for a courier,so obviously I discussed this was for a child.

We are awaiting the result as I write.

But nhs employees will be able to get their kids tested. Ironically our jobs are the least at risk in the country

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8659107/Coronavirus-Gavin-Williamson-makes-schools-home-tests-promise.html

How can we as parents let them get away with making false promises get kids back whilst threatening to find us.
If schools don't feel safe watch the attendance rates plummet.

What about parents of children self isolating for 14 days due to no tests who are teachers?

Where is the list please?

The problem with this is when the kids are off with symptoms the whole family has to isolate. So myself and my partner (Both essential works are currently at home).

Well I will feel even less safe at work than I do now if pupils can't easily access tests.
If my own dc can't get a test when they need one, that's me off work anyway.

@BlueGreyGreens

I understand the outrage at this but if there aren't enough tests currently then there aren't enough tests. It would be hard to argue that school kids are higher priority than doctors/nurses/care homes etc.

It's shit (and I'm stuck at home with kids right now waiting for test results) but I don't think I disagree with the groups that have been prioritised.

The outrage is because they've had 6 months and still haven't got enough tests. At press conferences they make outlandish claims e.g. operation moonshot but they cant even get the basics right.

@Rudolphian I understand the outrage, hence the first line of my post you quoted states that I understand the outrage.

It's a total shit show.

I’m a teacher and managed to get a test easy today, my friend from work lives 4 miles away and tried at the exact same time as me and couldn’t get one - even though she was willing to travel! Strangely, I got one 50 miles away which is slightly closer to her.

We have 80 staff at my school and 12 we’re off today, by the sounds of it only I got a test, so I will go back if my results are negative but the others are off leaving classes without teachers!

They should have seen this coming. I can't even begin to understand how they didn't

And all the promises they made about how testing would be available for teachers and students

They painted it as an easy process, isolate get test results and go back to school.
They said schools wouldn't open unless testing was in place and the school environment was safe. Now students are being relegated down for priority for testing.
I have two siblings who are teachers. One is at higher risk. This will just put her at further risk. They really dont care.

It will lead to parents lying about why their child is ill, eg saying tummy bug. Keeping them off for a couple of days until the temp has gone, then sending them back in.

It will lead to increased spread in schools, as you can’t isolate the contacts until you get a positive test. And ill kids will have been sent back in.

Along with other things, this is not well thought out at all, and I do feel sorry for teachers. They should have the same testing facilities set up at schools as we do in the nhs which allows us and our families to get tested as soon as we show symptoms. They only do this to get us back to work quickly so we don’t have to isolate if negative.

The testing facility should have been properly functioning before school was allowed back fully. In its current state, schools should have returned part time with distancing.

I feel so sorry for parents and school kids.
Surely this was bound to happen come September and after lockdown. Where is our world beating testing and trace system?

This doesn’t just affect schools it will affect other business when staff can’t come in because their child needs to be looked after while they isolate.

Children will be sent to school Ill as parents can’t time off work, not every child will have covid but it will only take one to spread it throughout that class.

Ridiculous place we are at right now and Im a believer in measures to help slow the pandemic but with decent testing in place.

The problem with it taking 5 days to get results is all of their close contacts are all happily attending school and work and spreading it round. By the time you get results there is no point in track and trace. My DS has had a close contact with a Covid case and has symptoms but all of his close contacts are free to do as they like because he is not a confirmed case yet.
Also if both parents are doctors should the child not be a priority? It’s madness.

@Chestergirl39 It will lead to parents lying about why their child is ill, eg saying tummy bug. Keeping them off for a couple of days until the temp has gone, then sending them back in.

This is happening already. Kids being sent home from school with a cough are required to have a negative test result before returning (or off for 14 days or 10 or whatever it is), but if you keep your cold-ridden child off just in case they start coughing in school, you can pop them back whenever you like because they've 'just been poorly with a cold/sore throat/etc'.

I work in secondary and parents are cottoning on fast.

[quote BlueGreyGreens]**@Chestergirl39* It will lead to parents lying about why their child is ill, eg saying tummy bug. Keeping them off for a couple of days until the temp has gone, then sending them back in.*

This is happening already. Kids being sent home from school with a cough are required to have a negative test result before returning (or off for 14 days or 10 or whatever it is), but if you keep your cold-ridden child off just in case they start coughing in school, you can pop them back whenever you like because they've 'just been poorly with a cold/sore throat/etc'.

I work in secondary and parents are cottoning on fast. [/quote]
How long are you infectious after the symptoms end?

General question really

Also if both parents are doctors should the child not be a priority? It’s madness.

I think the priority applies to households rather than individuals, so a doctor's child/husband etc would be prioritised too.

@BlueGreyGreens

Also if both parents are doctors should the child not be a priority? It’s madness.

I think the priority applies to households rather than individuals, so a doctor's child/husband etc would be prioritised too.

That’s good

What’s worse a child coming in with a cough then being sent home

Or a child being kept home and waiting until the cough / symptoms subside?

Well it does solve the problem for the government that theyve been saying children don't spread it. If you don't test them, they won't show as positive cases and they can carry on blaming the teachers for 'mingling in the staffroom' etc even when it is patently obvious that non tested children swapping between teachers will spread silently.

Do care home staff really need testing every week? Make it every 2 weeks, or 3. And just wear PPE all the time. Schools again get the short straw as we can't even wear PPE.