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?

Schools without adequate planning or distancing (p/t would be a workable option for secondary, really, it would )
EOTHO
Ridiculous international travel
Boozers and the inability of the pissed-up to social distance (and not just the youth who people are so keen to blame)
Fucked up track and trace, repeatedly
Everyone just relaxing

All together

Not just schools

Families and friends meetinb are driving the spread.

we were on a local lockdown before the schools went back. The schools are so infectious round here that it goes backward in time

@Laiste

IMHO it's pubs. Pubs and restaurants.

What's the point of us all shuffling round the block in a one way system to pick the kids up from school if we can then all go and meet up in the bloody pub and get pissed together !?

Although of course that'll all be ok now the pub shuts at 10 ...

Too true Laiste as my DD said earlier "Does Covid have a watch & only come out at 10pm?"

Wasn't it the last big night out before lockdown began that was attributed to the massive rise in Covid infections in April?

Yup.. lots not been added on here. My DC's school not on here yet (bubble closed today) and many others not yet added according to other teachers on the Staffroom.

Of course schools have helped with the spread.

www.boycottunsafeschools.co.uk/reported-covid-19-cases/school-cases-after-12-8-20/

@Kungfupanda67

This surge isn’t because of schools. They’ve only been back 2 weeks in most of the country, that’s just not long enough to see this number of cases. It’ll be following the ‘everyone go back to the office, everyone go to the pub, everyone get back on the trains and buses‘ mantra of August

Really? We’ll have been back 3 weeks tomorrow and we started at around the same time as all the other schools round here.

I heard of 5 local schools today all of which have sent year groups home yesterday or today due to positive cases. We aren’t in any sort of hotspot.

I see that university students have been criss-crossing the country for the past few weeks heading off to their new housing, mixing with new people, bringing anything they have with them ... then they're out and about in their new locations, visiting pubs, restaurants, etc

That's more concerning than primary schools being back in. Or secondary schools. Where at least bubbles are in place.

It's the pubs not the schools! The pubs are rammed in the beer gardens no social distancing and then they bring it home to the kids .

My opnion is that people shouldn’t have gone on holiday abroad, and we should have quarantined the thousands coming from foreign countries everyday.

@MarshaBradyo

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.

I have to pick up Child1 at 3 and Child2 at 3.15 in separate yards. It's a large yard and if we all spread around it completely there would be plenty of room for a metre space around everyone but no, we're british, people form a neat queue, glare at anyone trying to get to the completely empty other side of the yard and then chat in the queue. For 15 minutes. When previously pick up was around 5.

[quote letsghostdance]@leafbeans I absolutely know that teachers aren't the only ones out risking themselves. But I do know that other jobs have provided PPE. We don't. In other jobs, people aren't shoved in a room with sometimes over 100 young adults for over 6 hours a day...[/quote]
I'm spending around £30 a week to get PPE for DH and I. Both secondary teachers.

@monkeytennis97 Same, I'm funding my own masks and hand sanitizer that doesn't damage my hands. Even more infuriatingly my boss really doesn't like us wearing masks and has subtly tried to discourage it.

Year groups of 250 in crowded, antiquated schools with no social distancing or mask wearing and each bubble crossing over on multiple points with public transport, siblings across years and gathering outside school means that schools' hard work would only have limited effect, unfortunately. I'm not sure the one week on, one week off for each bubble will have much benefit though I may be a little glass half empty.

Cases were rising before schools re-opened.

The spikes have been linked to socialisation e.g pubs/groups of more than 6 etc etc.

I'm spending around £30 a week to get PPE for DH and I. Both secondary teachers.
How aren't you just buying washable masks ? Even disposable ones a pack of 10 Is a couple of £ .

Schools are more important than pubs. Shut pubs and restaurants, keep schools open. Cases will still probably rise, but focus testing on care homes and those at risk need to be more careful (e.g. grandparents shouldn't be babysitting). The cats out the bag now, but yoyoing in and out of lockdown, or school closures will cause more damage. We need a sustainable approach.

@islockdownoveryet

I'm spending around £30 a week to get PPE for DH and I. Both secondary teachers. How aren't you just buying washable masks ? Even disposable ones a pack of 10 Is a couple of £ .

Gloves, spray, soap, disposable masks (which I change properly every 2-3 hours or so)

I'm spending around £30 a week to get PPE for DH and I. Both secondary teachers.

£30? Are you wearing scrubs??

@islockdownoveryet Because washable ones aren't as effective as the fluid resistant surgical ones so I'm using them instead.

Spain had a second wave that started before schools went back, as did France we slowly added country to country to the quarantine list over the summer all with shut schools and rising cases. I get a desire for adults to shut schools, keep those pesky kids at home and continue their own lives as normal as the way to control the pandemic but it doesn’t really stack up internationally as being the number one measure that works.

Cases were going up before the schools opened, and it’s more to do with the young and socialising, plus families living together, and lack of SD

Schools may play a part, but it’s not the reason cases are going up

I'm spending around £30 a week to get PPE for DH and I. Both secondary teachers.

Cross posted. Get some washable masks for heaven's sake. And maybe a teensiest bit overboard with gloves AND spray AND soap?

people on here not listening to those pointing out the numbers were going up pre school returns and education is a tad more important than late nite drinking
yes it's difficult coz its a pandemic innit.

@allletsghostdance
I do understand you need to feel safe. It will get easier. I've been working throughout lockdown in customer facing role - wore gloves initially but then realised they are EXACTLY the same risk as your own hands. I hate contributing to the plastic waste mountain so rarely use disposable masks, I have many washable ones. A visor might suit you better if you are worried about fluid resistance (and probably be much more suitable for teaching, speaking to kids etc!)