Very worried teacher

[Covidwoes]

Hi all, NC'd for this in case it's outing. I'm a teacher waiting on Covid results (developed symptoms yesterday and got tested later in the day) and I'm pretty sure I have it, as my symptoms match. I'm also pregnant (3rd trimester). I cover planning time, so work in different classes. I've been awake all night worrying about spreading it. While I've tried my very best to distance, hand wash, sanitise etc, it's difficult to maintain 100% Covid secure guidelines in schools, especially with younger children. I'm absolutely terrified that if I test positive, I'll have infected loads of people. I know there's not much I can do, but I'm so worried. The symptoms were not gradual onset at all, and I had been feeling absolutely fine on Friday before waking up yesterday feeling ill. I'm honestly more worried about being a super spreader than feeling ill.

Honestly, you can't blame yourself for this. You have no choice but to follow government guidance which we call know admits that this can only be done "where possible". Pupils will be fine and s y colleagues that develop it are unlikely to blame you for it.

I had spent an hour in a room with two Der colleagues and felt obliged to text them about my positive result but they were happy I'd worn a mask and sd and have said they would not have blamed me for catching it. We are all aware that if you have to in a school/ hospital/ care ho.e it is only a matter of time.

You've done absolutely nothing wrong. There's nothing you could have done differently, so don't feel bad. It's the situation you found yourself in not you. Schools got no funding to try and make things safer. I really hope you are going to be ok.

I'm in a similar position. I'm a supply teacher and this week have worked across 2 schools and 5 classes. Yesterday I started to get a sore throat and did worry it might develop in to something and what the consequences of that would be 😬. However, you and I were simply following instructions and also put ourselves at more risk by being with so many different people, so whatever happens it isn't your fault.

I was exactly the same, I have just had my baby but i worked at a gym prior. I worked in an office that kept to socially distanced rules as best it could but I knew I was closer to people than I should of been occasionally. Also it was a small office with no windows! My 1st DD has asthma, so in September I was in my 3rd trimester, she started back at school and kept getting her usual coughs. But it just sent me over the edge everytime. I was so paranoid, once she even had a temperature and I remember crying. She is in such good health and I know how to deal with asthma, I was so paranoid about us spreading it it would keep me awake at night. I put her through 3 covid tests that she still hasn't forgiven me for!!😅, what are your symptoms? It could just be a nasty cold, wait for the results and try not to dwell on the worst case. But even then, your school will have steps in place. It's not your fault if you have it, you wouldnt blame someone else who had caught it on themselves so dont blame yourself. I also hope you are feeling well, being in your 3rd trimester and being unwell isnt ideal. Look after yourself, do you have good support around you?

Symptoms are body aches, temp, headache, and my taste has started to go funny. I'm also weirdly worried about people gossiping. It's a school with a big, close community and I'm worried it'll cause mass panic, as we haven't had any confirmed cases in school yet (just parents of children, so children have then isolated). The worry is tipping me over the edge!

The government have put you in this bloody situation so please don't blame yourself at all. They have ignored PPE. Said you can't wear masks ( which they then reversed). Ignored the pleas from teachers and unions that it was impossible to socially distance. Just look after yourself.

Don't blame yourself, the government set schools up perfectly for the virus to spread!

I hope you recover soon

Don’t worry, somebody else gave it to you !

And the children, their parents or other teachers could be asymptotic, it doesn’t mean that you brought it to the school.

You're a far nicer person that me, I'd be focused on myself and baby and how shit it is that I've been put in this position. Hope you recover quickly

We've just had to close 2 classes for similar reasons. No one had moaned, no one has complained, we are on day 10 and at this point no more cases other than the original (obviously this could change but the moment but that is where we are now). The lovely person who was positive felt exactly the same but no one is blaming them, no gossiping about him, the only messages about him are checking if we've heard from him and that he is ok.

No one blame you. I am a parent, and if the teacher at my dc's school got it, I feel sorry for them to have to work in the environment than being angry about spreading. You are likely to got it from the asymptomatic children in the first place.
Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Please don't worry about school. It is not your fault. Your colleagues will understand that. A member of staff tested positive at my school and received nothing but kindness and support.

Please try and rest and focus on getting better. Best wishes

You're a far nicer person that me, I'd be focused on myself and baby and how shit it is that I've been put in this position. Hope you recover quickly.

Exactly. You have been put in this position by the government and your role across the school has put you at more exposure risk.
My ds's school has closed two bubbles this week. There were staff that were going between the classes, so at more risk to themselves and also spreading it - I think things may change now though.

Thanks so much everyone for your lovely messages. @Parkandride I must admit I then felt guilty for thinking of school before the baby! Keeping a very close eye on movements, and I'll ring maternity for advice if I do test positive. I also have a 2 year old at home who has been in nursery. So far she has been symptom free, but of course there's the worry about her taking it into nursery. DH has just booked a test for today as he's now coughing! Argh!

I expect you have been carefully following the rules so the chances are that there has been an outbreak at school and you picked it up there. Notify the school and then focus on resting and looking after yourself as it must be awful getting covid whilst pregnant.

@MuddyRose

You're a far nicer person that me, I'd be focused on myself and baby and how shit it is that I've been put in this position. Hope you recover quickly.

Exactly. You have been put in this position by the government and your role across the school has put you at more exposure risk.
My ds's school has closed two bubbles this week. There were staff that were going between the classes, so at more risk to themselves and also spreading it - I think things may change now though.

Yes, agree with this. Not your fault, concentrate on yourself.

Anyone of us with links to schools and work places could say the same thing. If we add all our "bubbles" up we have over 500+ contacts. If any of us were asymptotic we could be spreading the virus without even knowing.

You've done nothing wrong, it can't be helped. My friend has tested positive this week and got her children tested on Friday, they don't have symptoms but are both under 6 and at school. They are both positive as well. She would never have known had her children not been tested and she did it to be sure to tell the school incase there was a risk to other families. This is against the guidance but actually is a far more sensible approach than just letting it spread as now the children's bubbles will isolate.

It's not you that's the issue, it's the guidance and dreadful tracing that has great holes in it allowing the continuation of the virus.

There is nothing you can do!!!! It is not your fault....

And for goodness sake to those who say the Government put you in that position....don't be ridiculous. The OP was doing her job as are the millions of other people in the country that are still lucky to have a job!!!!! The alternative is that everyone stays at home. Everyone. That will stop the spread. On the basis that that is not practical people will get this virus. And deal with it like they have dealt with viruses in the past.

Don’t feel bad. It will spread when people are in proximity together, like any other coronavirus. Was expected to happen as community numbers had risen. The breakouts in schools have been not too bad overall. In the hospital where I work over 30% of staff caught it in the first surge partly because we couldn’t test people. Schools seem to be doing better and I’m sure that being able to test is helping. Hope you feel better soon.

. The OP was doing her job as are the millions of other people in the country that are still lucky to have a job!!!!! The alternative is that everyone stays at home.

That is certainly one alteenative. Another one is the government could have provided teachers the same protections that have been put in place in other workplaces or failing that regularly test staff in schools like me they do in care homes.

They could even have considered providing extra money Instead of tweeting out their receipts from dining out subsided by the taxpayer as part of the 500m they spent on eat out to help out.

You did what you could to keep yourself and others safe. Nobody can stop the risk in a school setting , all you can do is minimise the risk as much as possible. Hope you feel better soon

@loulouljh

And for goodness sake to those who say the Government put you in that position....don't be ridiculous. The OP was doing her job as are the millions of other people in the country that are still lucky to have a job!!!!! The alternative is that everyone stays at home. Everyone. That will stop the spread. On the basis that that is not practical people will get this virus. And deal with it like they have dealt with viruses in the past.

I swear if I hear one more ‘millions of other people’ are also working I will flip! Please give me ONE example of a job where we are in such close proximity (don’t tell me we need to be 2m from the children - try telling an sen child that when they’re about to attack another child) to other people with NO PPE? My whole family are in schools which means our bubble (including bus abs before/after school clubs) is over 700 people! I’d love to know what other jobs are like this?

Try to keep calm. It totally isn't your fault. There's also a possibility you didn't spread it at all! I'm a teacher, my co-tutor and 6 of my form got positive tests over half term, and I didn't get it, despite being in an unventilated room with them all day on the day before half term.