We were doing ok until we opened all the schools....

[Bbq1]

After lockdown was lifted pre September and pubs, restaurants etc were opened we seemed to have a handle on Covid with cases, hospital admissions and deaths all declining fairly steadily. Since we released millions of school aged children and thousands of teachers etc back into the classroom- boom, cases and consequently deaths, are now growing very rapidly again. It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that this would happen. I work in a school and I have a 15 year old starting his gcse's so I 100% don't want the schools to close but surely there must be a more workable solution? Couldn't schools be one week, one week off for different bubbles or alternate days? Nobody wants schools to shut but surely in the long term if we don't get something safer in place and just continue sending kids and adults in day after day, then eventually they will close again?

Lots gave up SD in summer stating the kids would all be back together at school, add to that mix travel, things reopening etc and cases were bound to go up.

They should go part time or remote, even if starting with those that are happy to home school etc to keep numbers low. I’ll be surprised if they make it to half term given the scientists views on potential growth yesterday,

@DonLewis

More likely to be EOTHO. And a shambles of a track and trace. Then we opened the schools and were gonna pay for that, I'm sure, but it's too early for that just yet.

Official statistics currently have outbreaks attributed to the hospitality sector at 5% and schools at 21%.

It's not schools, they've not been back long enough yet to have had a massive impact.

People returning from Summer holidays and not quarantining can't have helped. Bolton saw a spike because of one man who didn't quarantine then went on a pub crawl when he got back.

Children need to be the priority though, people have forgotten about the trade offs it seems. Holidays abroad should have been banned as they're not necessarily essential and the rule of 6 was pretty generous I thought.

If we close schools again we are setting ourselves up for bigger problems long term than the coronavirus
@Eyewhisker I totally agree. It will be a very dark day if we fail this country’s children and millions of people’s futures because the government failed to get a handle on this

Oh FFS , it’s a bloody virus, it spreads. We can’t lock everyone up forever! We need to live our lives and our children need to be educated!

@Redolent

No we weren’t. Cases jumped to almost 3000 on Sunday 6th September, less than a week after schools had reopened. That was a big moment, and it suggested that infections had been brewing by late August.

Lots here went back on 7th Sept anyway

Its too soon to blame schools.

In Scotland where schools have been open for longer, it is household spread that they are most concerned about.

What we do need to do is fully understand how much it does spread in schools but I don't think there has been enough time.

But the surge now is down to behaviour in August, people going abroad and people not quarantining / self isolating.

The govt facilitated a lot of the behaviour.

Surely the Eat Out to Help Out scheme must be a massive contributor here? I can't believe the governments hypocrisy on this one.

August: "Eat Out to Help Out. Enjoy yourselves, you deserve it! Get the family together for some cheap grub.

September:"Right, get back inside. No more socialising for you lot! We'll send the army out if you don't conform!"

I genuinely can't believe the nation isn't up in arms over it.

How do you explain the fact that Scotland's schools have been open for six weeks and their figures didn't leap up after two weeks of the schools being opened?

They should close the borders and ban foreign travel before closing schools again.

@Redolent

Schools went back in Scotland in early August, Wales and Leicestershire went back in late August, schools here went back 1sept. It takes 2-14 days to get a positive test, typically 5 days so from school going back that's 4 cycles from 1st typically. If each school child is passing it on to several people, some asymtomatic it could have easily spread

It's not just schools though. Every time something new has opened up, cases have risen, it's just that schools count for SUCH a huge number of people, not to mention parents mixing at gates, none seem to have consistent rules or isolation policies .. it's all such a mess.

Realistically though, they simply cannot close again. It would be so damaging for the children, not to mention a nightmare situation for parents having to find children - particularly given many grandparents are still shielding for their own safety.

This virus isn't going away. I believe (with absolutely zero medical knowledge of course!) that we need to open up as much as we reasonably can, and simply monitor the effects of those actions. At the moment yes, cases are rising, but hospitalisations remain low in comparison to March and the death rates are incredibly low - at the moment. Of course any rise is bad, hence the action of the rule of six and local lockdowns, but a widespread school closure isn't the answer now .. and I'm not sure it was the answer in the first place.

Having to find *CHILDCARE haha.

Are all the people who are insistent that schools need to stay open at all costs willing to go into schools and actually fulfil all of the jobs needed to be completed by adults in there? Because I feel like that should really be a requirement.

As a teacher in an area of Scotland that's already been locked down for weeks I'm not sorry to say that I don't feel safe to be at work and I would love to be able to work at home like the majority of my friends and family.

@Redolent

No we weren’t. Cases jumped to almost 3000 on Sunday 6th September, less than a week after schools had reopened. That was a big moment, and it suggested that infections had been brewing by late August.

I know a lot of parents who in late August went "the schools are going to be back together in a week anyway, what's the harm in meeting up now".

The risks of schools being back exactly as normal ISN'T JUST in-school. There'ss a huge psychological "oh well life is normal" now jump that goes along with it.

In England schools haven't really been open long enough for it to be a significant cause of increase.
Pubs and people getting bored with rules and doing their own thing over the summer more likely.

It doesn’t matter whether you want it to or not or whether you think it’s realistic. Teachers and their families are bottom of the pile, which considering public health England has listed educational settings as the 2nd biggest settings behind outbreaks, you’ve got an issue. All this nonsense that it’s not early enough, of course it is, unless you know better than the information that public health England have.

Schools will close if the testing fiasco continues, that’s just a fact. Boris’ speech today was simply a deflection. When he spoke of our children’s education being put at risk, he can blame the rule breakers. Not the shambles of a testing system we were all promised would be in place to make full time school possible.

People need to wake up.

Schools will be a factor but to suggest it’s the only cause is a nonsense.

@letsghostdance

Are all the people who are insistent that schools need to stay open at all costs willing to go into schools and actually fulfil all of the jobs needed to be completed by adults in there? Because I feel like that should really be a requirement.

As a teacher in an area of Scotland that's already been locked down for weeks I'm not sorry to say that I don't feel safe to be at work and I would love to be able to work at home like the majority of my friends and family.

No I wouldn't.

But mainly because I would be terrible at the job.

But if I weren't working elsewhere and they needed me to help out - absolutely.

I personally think the eat out to help out scheme fuelled the growth as well as people going on holiday. The government’s rhetoric didn’t help matters basically, in not so many words, encouraging people to live near normally. Rowing back now with measures announced I think is too late. This should have been done 6weeks ago. I fear more and more schools will suffer and will be surprised if we reach half term without another nation lockdown. I hope I’m proved wrong.

Words cannot express how angry I would be if schools closed again. We cannot possibly not educate our children

Not in your gift though is it. Spare a thought...

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18735201.newton-aycliffe-school-shut-staff-catch-covid/

Headteacher 'staff are very poorly'

@letsghostdance

Are all the people who are insistent that schools need to stay open at all costs willing to go into schools and actually fulfil all of the jobs needed to be completed by adults in there? Because I feel like that should really be a requirement.

As a teacher in an area of Scotland that's already been locked down for weeks I'm not sorry to say that I don't feel safe to be at work and I would love to be able to work at home like the majority of my friends and family.

No. Because most of the people desperate for schools to stay open have their own vital jobs. Jobs that we have been doing the whole time.

The risks of schools being back exactly as normal ISN'T JUST in-school. There'ss a huge psychological "oh well life is normal" now jump that goes along with it.

I’m pleased our school has issued rules on masks, no chatting, no hanging around, no indoor play dates.

Its obviously schools and the lack of preparation this government has done to make them safe.