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.

Ffs, what if he has to isolate again in a few weeks? Wtf is wrong with letting him go out for fresh air if he won't be in close (or any) contact with anybody?

I can't believe people don't feel able to take sensible risks (ie. zero risks) to give children fresh air and exercise.

I have 2 children both have had to isolate, we took both to quiet parks / woods (we live in a city lucky to have a car) - at times noone else was there.

It is ZERO risk - and these are healthy children with no symptoms - they need exercise - truly I could weep at how people blindly follow rules.

I know people in flats with three children - lone parents - are they meant to stay in too? With the other healthy children? What bollocks.

[quote timeforanewstart]@RonaLisa yes my nan wants to go out more but she feels guilty as she doesn't want to put pressure on nhs
But you said you would let your isolating children go to the shops ? [/quote]
Yes, I would. It's hypothetical, as I now don't have DC at home, though!

@AlwaysLatte

For goodness sake my dc didn’t leave their home garden/mid March till August. I am sure kids can cope for 14 days! They didn't have to do that.

My ds also did this, as shielding, and as we couldn't self isolate from him (as advised), we all stayed home (apart from dh working outside, socially distanced)

@WhoopsSomethingWentWrong i guess if you a vunerable parent you would try to keep distance if older child , mine are teenagers so only come out rooms for food and use the loo so almost self isolate most of the time
If i had younger ones or if older ones needed me no chance if me staying away

@borntohula

Ffs, what if he has to isolate again in a few weeks? Wtf is wrong with letting him go out for fresh air if he won't be in close (or any) contact with anybody?

He can stand on the front door or open a window if he’ll expire without fresh air. Teach some resilience 🤦🏼‍♀️

@QueenPaws that sounds awful for you and I'm very sorry. However people are taking decisions for their childrens health and wellbeing.

I'm not taking my kids to parties - I'm giving them exercise. I don't know what risks you face outdoors but I'll leave you to be the judge of your own safety and risk.

Nobody here is talking about taking dangerous risks - we are talking about 8 months into a pandemic that does not affect children but has had very serious impacts on the lives of many children through lockdown - allowing children fresh air and exercise.

In Ireland if you are a contact but dont have symptoms you can go for walks.

4th lockdown. 5 year old touching doorways three times before walking through, not eating and chewing bed frame and three year old started with vocal tic and terrified of open windows. Yes, I'm taking them on a countryside walk away from anyone. No, I don't consider this a selfish act.

[quote timeforanewstart]@Ronalisa you say you went to the range etc was you isolating or are you talking just normally im confused [/quote]
Sorry for being unclear. I'm not isolating, and have not been told to isolate for any reason. I was conflating the two things. Apologies!

If I were told to isolate, though, I can't think that I'd do it. I can't think of any reason why I would be asked to isolate, though, as my DC are away and I only see my DP indoors, who sees nobody else (not my choice, though: friends are obeying the rules, so I can only see them outside for walks).

Yes, you keep them in for 14 days. Because you've been told to keep them in for 14 days.

It'll be an arse pain but in the midst of a global pandemic nobody really gives a shit if life's a bit hard for you with kids stuck at home.

Harsh but true.

People that can't stay in with a child of any age for 14 days baffles me. Like it's the hardest thing to do in the world. If lockdown gets extended or people can't see one another at Christmas it's a few dickheads on here that need naming and shaming.

@QueenPaws

Threads like these make me want to launch my phone through the window I've been inside for 8 months today. Went to the supermarket once when shielding lifted as I had run out of milk and no deliveries. I go out once a week to run the car and make sure the battery doesn't die. That's it. I don't see my friends or my parents or anyone face to face except for hospital appointments And I wondered the other day why I'm grumpy, on edge and snappy 🤷🏽‍♀️ Physical restrictions mean I can't even get out for a walk and it makes me so fucking angry when people whine they can't possibly stay in for a week or need to do this or that

Not all elderly are shielding and not all who are shielding are elderly

When shielding was lifted, you made a judgment call to carry on isolating.

You sound incredibly angry, lonely and relentless. Perhaps if you’d taken the opportunity to get out in fresh air, see family and friends when you could have, you wouldn’t be in such a dark place now.

So do you ever plan to go out? Seeing as you didn’t when the shielding were no longer shielding

We would stay home.

@Feministicon I don't want to teach my 7 year old to be 'resilient' to not having any exercise or any joy in life.

I have followed the rules very strictly at certain points - but now I am not prepared to push my kids further into negative health. They have lost their sport, their clubs, their playdates.

When my children isolate I will ensure they stay healthy - they are being given a hard enough time. I have seen the mental and physical impact on my children - it is so sad to see the judgement on here against families.

The reality is that people are making decisions of their own because the rules are disproportionate.

Home means home. I'm not sure why people need further clarification.

DS was allowed in the back garden when we were in isolation but that was it. Yes it was miserable, but we had to suck it up.

The longer people don't keep to the rules, the longer we'll be stuck in lockdown or local restrictions.

@Jozilla the virus is not being spread by children going for a scoot/ walk for an hour while self isolating. It is spread indoors in poorly ventilated spaces.

@Feministicon but you didn't explain WHY he can't go for a walk? What's actually wrong with doing that if, as I say, he won't be in any contact with anyone? What's the point in 'teaching resilience' purely for the sake of it? Because you're a martyr, perhaps?

I wasn't able to do it - for all of our sanity I put mine in the pram (he's 2 and it was a nursery key worker that caused our self-isolation) and went for walks with the dog when necessary. He never left the pram and we didn't go to parks or playgrounds. On a couple of occasions we put him in the car and went for a drive. He's too young to understand anything and the tantrums and cabin fever were becoming unbearable. I'm sure it was against the rules but we did what we needed to do for our mental health.

[quote Wondergirl100]@Feministicon I don't want to teach my 7 year old to be 'resilient' to not having any exercise or any joy in life.

I have followed the rules very strictly at certain points - but now I am not prepared to push my kids further into negative health. They have lost their sport, their clubs, their playdates.

When my children isolate I will ensure they stay healthy - they are being given a hard enough time. I have seen the mental and physical impact on my children - it is so sad to see the judgement on here against families.

The reality is that people are making decisions of their own because the rules are disproportionate.[/quote]
No joy in life?? Isolating for 14 days, sounds like you need a lesson in getting things in proportion so you can pass that on to your child.

[quote borntohula]@Feministicon but you didn't explain WHY he can't go for a walk? What's actually wrong with doing that if, as I say, he won't be in any contact with anyone? What's the point in 'teaching resilience' purely for the sake of it? Because you're a martyr, perhaps?[/quote]
Martyrs die for a cause, you’re being asked to stay at home for two weeks

On day 13 with a 4yr old here. He hasn't been out of our house or garden. He's coped much better than I expected.

And there is always a point in teaching resilience, always. It’s a massive neglected part of parenting these days and as we know, shit happens.

I have a wonderful sense of proportion thanks for asking. That's why I'm able to balance the need for people who may have covid to isolate with the normal needs of children for fresh air and exercise.

We all have different views on lockdown - mine is that all the rules should be set at a more proportionate level so that we can live our lives outdoors in a healthy way as much as possible - this would enable the lockdown to stay in place as long as needed. I don't think we should have rules for rules sake (which is exactly what it is when you tell a family they can't take a self isolating child for an outdoor walk - this is allowed in other countries so is clearly a perfectly normal rule)

@Gotofriggingsleep

On day 13 with a 4yr old here. He hasn't been out of our house or garden. He's coped much better than I expected.

My uncle is a public health specialist and told me he thinks it is sad and unnecessary and also morally wrong that children are asked to stay indoors for 14 days for no scientific reason.