Case in bubble, but only close contacts isolating

[AlexaShutUp]

There has been a confirmed case in dd's year group. There are 160 of them but they are treated as one bubble due to being in GCSE year/mixed classes. There is no social distancing in school, and no ventilation in some of the classrooms, so probably quite high chance of transmission within the bubble.

I had assumed that a positive case would mean the whole bubble having to isolate, but it seems that they're isolating "close contacts" only. I assume that this means those kids who sit near the confirmed cases in class and the friends that they hang out with at lunch etc. However, it doesn't seem to account for close contact in the very crowded corridors etc, though I guess most (not all) of the kids will be wearing masks as they move around the school.

I can see the logic in identifying certain kids who need to isolate while the rest of the bubble cracks on, and I appreciate that the school is no doubt trying to minimise the educational impact of any confirmed cases, but I'm surprised as I thought the whole point of the bubble system was that everyone would isolate if one went down. Have I got this wrong? Would be interested to know how other schools are managing this.

I'm happy that dd can stay in school, just a bit concerned that contacts of the confirmed case might have been missed and that keeping them all in school could spread it further. DH and I are both in the vulnerable category, so just a bit nervous, but perhaps I have just misunderstood how the whole bubble thing is supposed to work?

It is awful right now in schools. We started having cases just before the half term and now it feels like whack-a-mole. As one of the kids said today, "now it's in school there's nothing to stop it just going around and around". Most teachers and teaching assistants are feeling very jittery. There's still a few people who are denying it's an issue and some who've just resigned themselves to the fact they are highly likely to catch it. I don't worry about the children but I do worry about their families and the people they are taking it home to.

I've given up trying to explain the logic of who gets sent home to the kids. Parents may not have been lied to, but they've certainly been misinformed. So many people still believe they'll be told if there are cases in their child's school and that whole bubbles will go home. This hasn't been true since mid September. We haven't informed parents of any of the cases that have occurred in school unless their child was being sent home. We've only sent close contacts home despite classes often being in poorly ventilated rooms for two hours at a time. This is based on government advice. They know if we'd stuck to the bubbles barely anyone would be in school and their insistence that schools stay open would look ridiculous.

@noblegiraffe

She has been told that in those circumstances she CANNOT isolate, despite being in the vulnerable group.

She has taken to avoiding her friend

@noblegiraffe

Close contact is defined as 15 mins or more within 2m I think.

How safe would you feel having been at 2.1m for an hour with a positive case in a poorly ventilated room with no mask? We know in those scenarios it can spread further than 2m.

Masks won't protect you from catching the virus. And perfectly safe, as even though I am technically 'clinically vulnerable' due to mild asthma I understand statistics and covid 19 does not present a statistically significant risk to my age group. Wouldnt much fancy catching viruses from these pupils but would expect that's par for the course during winter as a teacher?

It might do you good to see past the lack of PPE and poor ventilation and accept you're being asked to do an absolutely essential job in the only way practical way it can be done at the moment. I don't know what complaining about it is going to achieve?

Agree with all the posts about teachers being pressured to say they weren't near kids and other staff. The thing is head teachers are in an impossible situation, they need staff in front of the kids but they also need to try to stop the virus spreading. I can't see us being able to pull it off for much longer - either we'll end up with dozens of staff off ill with the virus or we'll have so many isolating that we'll have to send kids home.

I also work in a school where there's no cleaning between lessons, not much enforcement of masks, no visors, kids moving around the site, crushes in the corridor etc etc.

There should be testing in schools when there is a positive case to make sure the asymptomatic ones are caught.

My MP told me in writing today that testing is being increased in schools. Is there any evidence of this?

@Tfoot75 El Pais published some research suggesting in the 2 hour lesson scenario, in a poorly ventilated room, as many as half the people in the room would have caught the virus. Distance is not really an issue here - it's the enclosed space with poor ventilation.

Are you aware, that asthmatic women in their 40s are one of the groups most at risk of long Covid? I'm fairly certain I wouldn't need hospital treatment but I think there's a strong chance that people like me would be significantly effected.

Masks won't protect you from catching the virus.

Well there’s no point in reading past the opening of that post is there.

and accept you're being asked to do an absolutely essential job in the only way practical way it can be done at the moment

Lots of health and safety regulations were brought in to make 'absolutely essential jobs' safer to do. Practicality or cost wasn't as important as lives saved. This is just a fact. I expect we'll look back and be gobsmacked at what school staff were asked to do. At that point I'll hope lots of people are embarrassed of their current opinions.

My MP told me in writing today that testing is being increased in schools. Is there any evidence of this?

Nope.

2 teachers have had positive tests today in my DD school bubble.

A student came back from half term with a parent at home self isolating with symptoms. She was in school until the Thursday, when her relative received a positive test.

Teachers are being put at huge risk.

She has been told that in those circumstances she CANNOT isolate, despite being in the vulnerable group.

Get it in writing? ‘Please confirm that if my DD is identified as a close contact of a positive case outside of lessons you will forbid her from isolating so that I can forward this to my MP for discussion’

@noblegiraffe

Excellent idea. Will do. I had assumed all schools were doing similar as my DS school is the same. Might be the local authority I guess. Good to know that it isn't typical.