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Covid

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Original poster

Would the schools problem be solved by masks

256 replies

notevenat20 · 10/10/2020 21:44

If all secondary school children wore masks all day and we only then sent home people who sat next to them at lunch if they got covid, would that solve most of the covid schools problem?

It's exactly what they do in France.

OP posts:

RationalOne · 10/10/2020 21:51

No.
You are assuming that children in school get it only from other children in school.
We have a large secondary only one cade in 5 weeks. No children involved.
Adult only from a social outing!

Funkypolar · 10/10/2020 21:52

Masks are really working SO well.

RationalOne · 10/10/2020 21:53

Masks only help a bit and some assume protection then act differently. Many don't wear correctly. Some rewear and you see dirty masks.....

RationalOne · 10/10/2020 21:54

Anyway France isn't a country to look up to.....their infections rose recently

Itisasecret · 10/10/2020 21:55

No and France are having a terrible time of it too.

Whyisitsodifficult · 10/10/2020 21:58

No, no, no, no, no! Pointless waste of time, haven’t we fucked over our kids mental health already let’s not pile on some more misery for them!!!

ShinyGreenElephant · 10/10/2020 22:02

Kids and teens won't wear masks properly. They just won't, with the best will in the world (and many won't even have that). They will fiddle with them and touch them all the time and then touch everything else, they will pull them down to breathe, they will rewear them for days. Its not going to work and would have a terrible effect on learning and behaviour. What schools need is much smaller class sizes and bigger, well ventilated classrooms. Plus the obvious- testing being widely and conveniently available. But the government wouldn't dream of spending a penny on the plebs kids while their little darlings are safely in private schools.

mightyducks · 10/10/2020 22:04

The vast majority of cases in schools are where children catch it in the community, in the home mostly, masks won’t make any difference to that

VillageGreenTree · 10/10/2020 22:05

Masks wouldn't solve the problem but they would certainly help reduce it.
Unfortunately schools are still over crowded with no social distancing and poor ventilation so masks won't solve things completely.
Trouble is not many children are displaying symptoms or being tested so every time a teachers catches COVID it's blamed on the teacher socialising or something.
It's very likely children will be infecting teachers because of conditions in schools but the government will never admit that and there's no way to ever prove it as it's just not looked for or is brushed under the carpet.

VillageGreenTree · 10/10/2020 22:07

No, no, no, no, no! Pointless waste of time, haven’t we fucked over our kids mental health already let’s not pile on some more misery for them!!!

Why on earth would it affect their mental health? Most kids wear masks very happily - it's just adults projecting their own opinions onto children that would cause issues in the majority of cases.

PicsInRed · 10/10/2020 22:08

"France" really isn't the answer to every question.

LeanishMachine · 10/10/2020 22:11

I don't know what it's like in other counties but I do have full knowledge of all the cases in secondary schools in our area, I've been involved in the decision making re bubble isolation etc. We are in a currently low risk area, so there haven't been masses of cases but most schools have had "a" case.

However, we haven't had a single case of transmission between students in school. The vast majority of cases have been staff. Some staff were reprimanded after attending social events that breached restrictions, some of the cases were staff living with young adult children who brought it home.

Where the have been cases in more than one student in a year group, it has been predominantly sixth form students who had been socialising outside of school.

On that basis, in our LA, the existing measures are working. We've had some cases, which have been contained with no onward transmission in school.

Shieldingending · 10/10/2020 22:12

I teach in a special school, we have had several cases. Masks are not an option for children with several learning difficulties or severe autism either for themselves or staff. They have been known to rip them off adults faces because in their eyes masks are "wrong".

monkeytennis97 · 10/10/2020 22:16

@VillageGreenTree

Masks wouldn't solve the problem but they would certainly help reduce it. Unfortunately schools are still over crowded with no social distancing and poor ventilation so masks won't solve things completely. Trouble is not many children are displaying symptoms or being tested so every time a teachers catches COVID it's blamed on the teacher socialising or something. It's very likely children will be infecting teachers because of conditions in schools but the government will never admit that and there's no way to ever prove it as it's just not looked for or is brushed under the carpet.

This.

Masks would definitely help but not solve the problem of schools.

Why are teenagers infantalised so much in this country? They seem to be able to wear masks in France, Italy and Germany ok in schools.

Witchend · 10/10/2020 22:17

I assume you haven't taken any notice of France's current increase in cases-nearly 27k today, or you wouldn't be suggesting we follow them.

laidbacklife · 10/10/2020 22:19

What a stupid question. Has it worked in France? There’s your answer.

LeanishMachine · 10/10/2020 22:20

Why are teenagers infantalised so much in this country?

Are teenagers catching covid from each other in school? That's not what's happening in my LA. Teens are definitely a problem but they're not catching it at school, they're the one group that is complying with SD in school. Even in PRUs the kids are being really compliant.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 10/10/2020 22:20

I really disagree with only sending home the really close contacts and don’t want to copy the French model. The bubble should isolate to stop the spread.

Masks would help but what would be better is to go to remote learning from secondary onwards and let the teachers and staff work safely at home delivering the curriculum.

MigGril · 10/10/2020 22:21

I work in a school and would love to see this happen. I know from a colleague that all children in Belgium are wearing masks all of the time.

There is no social distancing between students and very little between staff. We should have made it compulsory like Scotland form day one nit just in areas that are in local lock down.

Mumisnotmyonlyname · 10/10/2020 22:22

Who on earth knows? First were told they are useless and them essential. I'm not clear on the evidence for the change.

Whyisitsodifficult · 10/10/2020 22:23

@VillageGreenTree

No, no, no, no, no! Pointless waste of time, haven’t we fucked over our kids mental health already let’s not pile on some more misery for them!!!

Why on earth would it affect their mental health? Most kids wear masks very happily - it's just adults projecting their own opinions onto children that would cause issues in the majority of cases.

‘Most kids wear masks very happily’- hmm I think you’re maybe projecting your opinion on that one! Most kids wear them because they have to as told by an adult not by their own choice! Mask wearing is not suitable for school see the many reasons above for that!

monkeytennis97 · 10/10/2020 22:29

@LeanishMachine there is no SD in secondary schools.

Chosennone · 10/10/2020 22:29

Masks are optional at the secondary o work in.
Last week I saw one lad with his mask over his eyes, like a blindfold, being 'guided' down the corridor by his friends. I also saw one girls trying to fashion a bikini top/bra over her jumper using 2 masks!
It would be so difficult to actually enforce the correct wearing if masks, particularly in unstructured times.

Ugzbugz · 10/10/2020 22:31

My DC in secondary school sits with various other kids each day for lunch, they have zero problems wearing a mask although they then walk the same way home from the local school.....

tempnamechange98765 · 10/10/2020 22:32

All I hear from secondary school teachers that I know is that staff aren't social distancing in schools. In my county the cases in schools aren't spreading AT school, and any that do it's among the adults.

This isn't pointing blame at teachers as it must be very hard to maintain 2m social distance from colleagues when in a classroom you might have a teacher, several TAs etc.

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