Lockdown in England from next week **title edited by MNHQ**

[Velvetpeel]

The Times is reporting that we are headed for a month long lockdown until Dec 1st.
No details yet...
Why do they always announce things on the drip feed - makes it all even more stressful

The Daily mail article on this isn't paywalled

Thing is the goodwill and ‘Dunkirk spirit’ we saw the first time will be lacking this time around

Will we be out clapping for one thing or another?
Will businesses be working full pelt to get beans/pasta/loo roll back on sale?
Will delivery drivers be as driven (!) and determined to get parcels out?
Will the queuing to get in stores be as good natured in the rain and cold?

I think not, we are all exhausted and done with it

If this is true, then it may be coming too late as usual. The Indy sage briefing showed what lockdown might do to cases etc based on different scenarios and it really does seem that what Northern Ireland did was probably the best way to go about it. Lock down for a month and for 2 of them keep schools closed.

As usual the government has missed it's chance to fold this into half term. They should probably now go online only for secondaries for 2 weeks at least.

I thought they’d shelved the moonshot thing.

@Gcgjiut

It is absurd to say that schools must close - get real, it will destroy the economy if parents can’t work properly and will again force countless women to quit their jobs, setting us back decades. I can only assume those advocating for it either don’t have jobs or are teachers. What’s more, everyone needs to forget about Christmas - honestly who cares given that the economy and livelihoods are at stake. If everyone had just complied with guidance we would not be here.

I work with 2-4 year olds, i have them coughing in my face, presenting me with bogeys, wiping snot on my clothes.....you can gladly do my job for me

Also , these bubbles.....are they as secure as we think?

God, I didn't see this coming! Said no one ever!!

This won't work, just like nothing else has. When is that buffoon going to realise this.

Mass unemployment, trillions in debt, but that's ok isn't it.

This virus will be over in this country when SAGE decide it is.

@Idontbelieveit12 I feel for you, my friend works with the same age group, a couple of weeks ago 2 children tested positive and this week 5 out of 8 staff are now positive. You can bet some of the other children are asymptomatic continuing the spread.

@ARoseInHarlem

I don’t see why schools and universities have to shut down. The point isn’t to prevent anyone and everyone from catching the virus: that would be impossible. The point is to limit the number of people who need treatment when they catch it. So, best to shut down everything except what’s required to keep the economy ticking over. Children at school is crucial to that.

I also don’t see the problem with kicking the can down the road, as a strategy. Why not, until a vaccine is rolled out? Periodic, scheduled, shut downs that people can plan around (people being schools/businesses/ everyone) to keep hospital admissions stable and to give healthcare workers a chance to breathe and work under reasonable conditions.

But the issue is that school children don’t live by themselves. They go back home to parents or grandparents who may be vulnerable or higher risk who in turn may need treatment so we aren’t really solving the problem of taking the burden off the NHS. There are a lot of parents in my area (tier 3) who work from home and hardly ever leave the house and when they do they follow the rules yet they caught the virus from their children. Pointless them even working from home as having school aged children means you will be exposed to the virus.

We’ve had 5 staff confirmed Covid positive over half term. They’ll join the other 11 staff who are off with stress now.
I have no idea what we are going back to on Monday.

[quote catchingzzzeds]@Idontbelieveit12 I feel for you, my friend works with the same age group, a couple of weeks ago 2 children tested positive and this week 5 out of 8 staff are now positive. You can bet some of the other children are asymptomatic continuing the spread. [/quote]
I’m terrified, we haven’t had any cases yet but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time. It’s very scary. Hope your friend is ok x

@DBML

We’ve had 5 staff confirmed Covid positive over half term. They’ll join the other 11 staff who are off with stress now. I have no idea what we are going back to on Monday.

That’s another issue we are getting more of. Staff off with stress and who can blame them? If I was in their shoes right now I would probably do the same.

I’m a secondary teacher and worried about the personal risks. It’s also going to be bloody miserable. We’re already on our knees from having had to simultaneously live teach AND remote teach to those isolating at home last term. Dreading returning to another half term of that, especially if many more kids are out self-isolating or because parents are keeping them at home.

It’s the cold that was getting to me before half term. With windows and doors open, it was so cold and miserable, even with my thermals on. I don’t like being cold. It makes me lethargic and grumpy. Every day felt like a week and the week felt like a month. The kids were cold and miserable too.

There are countries that have opened most things back up but NOT schools, who have not seen increases in cases.

Schools was one of the last things to reopen before cases rose in the UK.

Is it not possible that schools are one of the biggest factors?

It seems like a more gradual reopening would have been more sensible. Reopen in steps and monitor the numbers. When cases/deaths start to rise too much, roll back the previous step. If you open everything too quickly, it's hard to know what exactly caused the problem.

of Course schools are the biggest factor, but it won't be acknowledged by the government.

This probably means ICU beds reaching capacity. EU countries are sharing ICU beds but...er...we left the EU. This is our own fault. If you voted for Brexit then thanks a bunch!

Teachers.... with lots of staff off, do you double up on classes? Who teaches the sick teachers kids?

Do you have a legal minimum of adults to children? I’m guessing supply teachers are in short supply?

Also, are headteachers stepping up and getting stuck in too?or are they in offices ?

@lovelemoncurd Brexit aside, how would we be in a position to share hospital beds with Europe? Fly patients abroad?

More pointless trashing of the economy, just for political cookies for keeping the schools open at all costs.

Only 8% of the workforce have children in school.

It’s pretty obvious to most people that schools reopening coincided with the leap in cases.

They had the chance to spend some money and open them properly, that’s failed and it’s too late now.

While schools remain open, it doesn’t matter what they call these pathetic measures, they are useless. And even worse, economically harmful for no benefit.

@hetanom which countries haven’t opened up schools?

National lockdown would be hard to accept in our county where our hospital it still on 5 patients and none on icu with low numbers. It’ll feel like we’re just trying to make the north feel less bad.

Yep. Sometimes I join up two classes, with Covid reduced numbers, that meant about 45 kids crammed in one class - the same year group though.

SLT - don’t cover in my school or haven’t yet.

"I’m a secondary teacher and worried about the personal risks. It’s also going to be bloody miserable."

My school had one third of staff off with covid the last 2 weeks of term and at least half of those got positive tests. I caught it myself in the last week and tested positive during half term. Now have a burning sensation in my chest for the last few days and don't know how I will cope with all the moving around and cover if my lungs are getting damaged. It's scary watching it explode around you and knowing you can't really do much about it then knowing work and home is all there is for the next few weeks.

@GirlCrush yes that is what Holland are correctly doing! Poorly people do get flown around you know. There are planes equipped with multiple ventilators and medical teams!