Do you really keep DC indoors for 14 days?

[notevenat20]

DS's school year has been sent home for 14 days because someone in his year has covid. I know we are supposed to keep him indoors the whole time. But what have people really done in practice? It's a very long time not to walk further than the bathroom.

Do all these houses back onto fields with no pavements to walk to get there or having to drive there. Amazing all these people with houses with such isolated areas that no one else ever goes to.

@notevenat20

A friend whose DC are at a posh London school wern't told their DC had to stay indoors. I guess you get what you pay for.

It's the same for all schools, private or free.

I don't have young children around any more but know mine would have been OK indoors for a fortnight. Obviously it would have been nicer in the summer to be able to go in the garden a lot but we'd have managed somehow.

Quite honestly I didn't realise children were not allowed out with parents for exercise and I think that is unreasonable.

Of the people I know, 2 strictly isolated their dc, 1 isolated apart from walks in non busy areas and 1 thought completely “fuck everyone else” and took her dc to after school activities (obvs before this lockdown - it was in Sept)

@RonaLisa so you would let yours go to the shop and potentially infect others as you know your contagious before symptoms ans wearing a mask doesn't fully protect
Even vunerable people need to eat and may have to go to the shops
My nan hasn't been out much since march and not at all this lockdown seeing no family but she doesn't matter because she is old , might be her last few months on this earth but she should just stay home and not even go to the shop incase someone else can't stay home ot at least away from a shop

Yes, I'm afraid that it's just house and garden. Despite living in a semi rural location, we didn't even take my 10 year old out for a walk or a bike ride. It would have been perfectly safe to do so imo as we wouldn't have encountered anyone, but I just felt obligated to tow the line.

@Secretsout

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but I haven't RTWT but I wanted to make a point for those saying they are going out early, going for a bike ride with kids, live in remote areas.

One of the reasons we are asked to stay indoors isn't necessarily to stop direct transmission between people whilst doing these remote activities.

Going out increases the risk of something happening to you. For example, you have a car accident, you fall over and break your leg. In these instances you will require treatment from medical staff.

If the hospital is full of Covid patients there's a risk that there are no staff to look after you, or alternatively, the Covid patient cannot have care because you have taken up the time of the medical staff.

There's also the point that even if you are simply a 'contact' of a confirmed case, even in the presence of you getting a negative test, there's still a risk that you are incubating Covid and go on to get it. In this instance you take it in to hospital and could pass it on to medical staff or other patients.

The phrase 'protect the NHS' hasn't been invented because we are precious and need wrapping in cotton wool, it's because we are not a finite resource and there's not enough to go round.

So if you want to tootle off for a bike ride, don't cry and complain when your precious child can't receive medical treatment or you get admitted to hospital and subsequently catch Covid because it's rife in there.

Don’t a significant number of people suffer injuries while putting their trousers on?

@NerrSnerr

Do all these houses back onto fields with no pavements to walk to get there or having to drive there. Amazing all these people with houses with such isolated areas that no one else ever goes to.

I don’t live in a remote area, just a bog standard village, but honestly I run at 7am, have done for years and have never, ever got within 10m of another person at that time, let alone 2m. Not that I’ve taken my child out when she’s in isolation, but if I took her at that time it would be very unusual if we encountered someone.

I'd love to see some scientific evidence for what the chances are of passing Covid on if you go for a walk in a remote area, maintaining at least 2m distancing if you happen to see anyone. I'd imagine it is pretty much zero risk. People are being very OTT on this thread

Being indoors, for a longer time, increases the risk of transmission but is not the only scenario for transmission. Transmission can occur in a split second, and can occur outside.

Some people seem to be saying: well MY child has to isolate so EVERY child should as well

It's more, 'When you have to isolate, you isolate; and thank your lucky stars that you're not in a more vulnerable category"

Well said @Backbee. It's amazing how our vulnerable kids, seem to manage. Maybe they could have a chat with some of the kids represented on here. They may learn a thing or two about coping

LondonJax that is SOO true. Although we have all isolated since March to protect my shielding husband, two of my children have special needs. Not with anything that would make them more vulnerable to Covid, but vulnerable generally. Yet they have been brilliant, I am so proud and so grateful that they have not made this situation worse by moaning about things - and they have every reason too. They and the foster children have worked hard at home, not ever, even for a second asking for things to alter. They have coped with everything in such a positive way, I am blessed beyond belief at that.

Don’t a significant number of people suffer injuries while putting their trousers on?
I don't know the actual number, but I doubt it's remotely significant.

Aren’t most childhood injuries in the home? So drowning in the bath, cutting themselves, burning themselves, electrocuting themselves etc etc. I don’t buy the ‘don’t go for a quiet walk in a field in case you have an accident’ argument.

My children had to stay in the house for all of half term and the week after, they went back to school and after 1 week at school ds is now isolating again for 14 days, its hard but I'm doing it because its the right thing to do and I dont want to put anyone else at risk.

I suffer poor MH have done for 18 years. I genuinely can't cope 2 days indoors, 3 absolute max. I have to get out if I don't I have suicidal thoughts because I get caught in a rut. Even if its a walk round the block at 8pm in the rain and wind.
If I had to isolate that's what I'd do.
I can honestly say. The places we go for walks anyway, we've only ever caught a glimpse of another family once in 6 years.
I live near the new forrest and there is plenty of space to wander without seeing a soul.
And if I had to isolate or any of my kids that were symptomless, I wouldnt give it a second thought and I'm afraid no one would make me feel Guilty.
And yes I've known 2 to die of covid and 1 currently very poorly now, all of which were poorly prior to catching the virus.. In hospital!

@CakeQueen87

I'd love to see some scientific evidence for what the chances are of passing Covid on if you go for a walk in a remote area, maintaining at least 2m distancing if you happen to see anyone. I'd imagine it is pretty much zero risk. People are being very OTT on this thread

I just don't understand then, why it would be in the guidelines, not just here, but in other countries who are using track and trace, and have rules about self isolating after contact....why would public health officials and scientists pluck this rule out of their arse? Oh and also in all the reviews of guidelines, not change this rule.

@Delatron

Aren’t most childhood injuries in the home? So drowning in the bath, cutting themselves, burning themselves, electrocuting themselves etc etc. I don’t buy the ‘don’t go for a quiet walk in a field in case you have an accident’ argument.

2 of my 3 children have broken bones, both in the house/garden!

@JuliaJohnston

Another poster posted this

Seems to contradict your insistence that when a child sent home to self isolate they need to be in their bedroom behind a closed door away from other family members?

I don't understand why your child has to isolate if a child in a different class has a positive test, but your child has not been in 'contact' with them, as per government definitions.

If person A and person B live together, and person A has actual close contact with a positive covid case, only person A has to self isolate. Person B can carry on as normal. Surely person B is far more risky and likely to be carrying the virus than a child in another random class who hasn't been near a positive case from the school. The virus does very badly outside and formites are also now known to not be very good vectors of infection either. If someone with no symptoms walks outside and keep away from people they simply aren't going to pass it on. You aren't going to get it from an asymptomatic person walking outside 2m from you, especially if they aren't talking. I think I'd take my kids to the isolated fields behind our house while feeling very lucky we have access to that.

Likely I have missed something. Can someone point me to the guidance that says if one child in a year group of 90 tests positive, all other children have to self isolate? It would be useful to have access to. My guess is PHE are saying this to schools when measures aren't in place to know who might be a close contact.

Govt guidance on contacts:
A ‘contact’ is a person who has been close to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 anytime from 2 days before the person was symptomatic up to 10 days from onset of symptoms (this is when they are infectious to others). For example, a contact can be:

• people who spend significant time in the same household as a person who has tested positive for COVID-19
• sexual partners
• a person who has had face-to-face contact (within one metre), with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, including:
• being coughed on
• having a face-to-face conversation within one metre
• having skin-to-skin physical contact, or

contact within one metre for one minute or longer without face-to-face contact

• a person who has been within 2 metres of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes
• a person who has travelled in a small vehicle with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or in a large vehicle or plane near someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Where an interaction between 2 people has taken place through a Perspex (or equivalent) screen, this would not be considered sufficient contact, provided that there has been no other contact such as any of those indicated above.

Contacts of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 need to self-isolate at home because they are at risk of developing symptoms themselves in the next 14 days and could spread the virus to others before the symptoms begin.

Do the people I live with also need to self-isolate at home with me for 14 days?

• If you are a contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, but you do not have symptoms, other people living with you do not need to self-isolate and should follow the general guidance.

Where? Where does it say a child needs to be isolated from his parents in his own home

In the letters the CEV group received from Matt Hancock including the one last week.

no we all go shopping and have a picnic

oh wait

@Christmaspud20

I suffer poor MH have done for 18 years. I genuinely can't cope 2 days indoors, 3 absolute max. I have to get out if I don't I have suicidal thoughts because I get caught in a rut. Even if its a walk round the block at 8pm in the rain and wind. If I had to isolate that's what I'd do. I can honestly say. The places we go for walks anyway, we've only ever caught a glimpse of another family once in 6 years. I live near the new forrest and there is plenty of space to wander without seeing a soul. And if I had to isolate or any of my kids that were symptomless, I wouldnt give it a second thought and I'm afraid no one would make me feel Guilty. And yes I've known 2 to die of covid and 1 currently very poorly now, all of which were poorly prior to catching the virus.. In hospital!

As I posted earlier, if you have mental health issues to thos extent, you would be ok under this exemption.

Not all these measures will be possible if you, or those you are living with, have significant conditions such as learning disabilities, autism or serious mental illness. Please keep following this guidance to the best of your ability

I agree @CakeQueen87

It’s a bit scary. Like a dystopian future where we all blindly flow ‘rules’ that have a huge detrimental affect on our kids’ mental health. With no questioning or discussion on the science behind it.

Or even accepting this may happen over and over again. Week after week after week of children shut away inside. When they’ve already missed months of education.

Love to see any stats on outside transmission on walks far away from people? Anyone got those? Didn’t think so.

We didn't. We were in pretty remote rural location and took DC (toddler) out for walks well away from other people. Much respect for those who manage to stay inside the whole time. I don't feel we put anyone at any extra risk, as DC didn't go near anyone the whole time, but our approach was in the spirit not the letter of the rules.

Good luck.