When will schools get back to normal?

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My DC have had multiple episodes of self isolating between them because of cases in their classes. I'm not complaining as I understand the need for this and schools have been amazing with home learning. But wondering when self isolating at schools will be a thing of the past?

@Waxonwaxoff0 phew. I'm very reassured. I'll make sure I pass that on to my 3 colleagues in ICU.

A healthy 15 year old died yesterday. Long COVID is a thing. This is not just about death. It's about a life changing disease. Immunity is not much use if you can never breathe properly again.

We are thinking September next year. Most of our staff won't be vaccinated for months, the kids won't be vaccinated so we will still be seeing community transmission. Despite the fact e have some vaccinated people will still be spreading it. Deaths will fall but there is still the issue of long covid, which will batter the NHS unless we are still being careful. It will be best if we continue measurss until we can drive the number of cases right, right down and have test and trace actually working.

@mumsneedwine while tragic that a 15 year old has died, it's not common. It's much the same with many illnesses that a tiny number of healthy people could die. Some people die of chicken pox.

I think the summer term too more or less but probably bubbles remaining for the academic year - I think by them all adults who want to be will have been vaccinated and with more and quicker testing, we won't be stuck having to isolate for two weeks.

I would hope by September 2021 when hopefully school staff / children will be vaccinated. I am not buying Into the ‘schools just need to get on with it’ scenario.

@starrynight19

So it won’t matter that teachers are at more risk of catching it if we stop isolating once the vulnerable in society are protected ? Why ?

Because once the vulnerable are vaccinated it doesn’t really matter if the rest of the population catch it. So a teacher would stay off school if they had symptoms and unwell, but no need to isolate from a close contact anymore. It will become just like any other virus that’s endemic.

I think it will be a gradual process, starting in the summer term and much more normal by September.

Because once the vulnerable are vaccinated it doesn’t really matter if the rest of the population catch it.

There are many teachers in our fifties and/or “vulnerable” but we are a long way down the list.

Does it matter if we catch it?

Less than 10% of isolating kids at my school are accessing live Teams lessons or even video lessons. It's only on MN that everyone is whinging about it not being provided.

Anyway, I'm going for spring 2022.

I hope not until ALL teachers have been vaccinated

A teacher died in Dh's school last week (early 50's, no underlying conditions- was fit and healthy) - leaves behind a wife and 2 young children

The list of clinically vulnerable who are getting the jab is NOT the same as the clinically vulnerable group, it is a subset. There will be teachers with longterm health conditions (eg moderate asthma but others as well) who are at high risk for long covid and permanent damage who are not on the list for the jab.
The vaccine list is focusing on high risk for death first. That is all very well, but it does mean we cant back to normal in high risk environments such as schools because there will still be staff at much greater risk for longterm problems unvaccinated.

I hope by 2022.

I don’t want children or school staff thrown under the bus because there’s not enough vaccines or parents want free uninterrupted childcare. They all need to be vaccinated and for self isolating o apply until that happens.

I have been saddened by posts showing how many only think of their own wants and not others.

I hope not immediately. I do worry that once the high risk are vaccinated then SD measures will be phased out.

I am a mid 40s secondary teacher (so too is DH). We will be a long way down the list.

This is why I hope private vaccinations are available. So those that want to protect themselves from the selfish actions/wants of others can. Lots of key workers will be under fifty and at higher risk due to their job.

@HipTightOnions

Because once the vulnerable are vaccinated it doesn’t really matter if the rest of the population catch it.

There are many teachers in our fifties and/or “vulnerable” but we are a long way down the list.

Does it matter if we catch it?

People over 50 are included in the government priority list and I would expect measures to continue until that whole group is vaccinated.

@motherrunner

I hope not immediately. I do worry that once the high risk are vaccinated then SD measures will be phased out.

I am a mid 40s secondary teacher (so too is DH). We will be a long way down the list.

Of course measures will be phased out once the priority group is vaccinated. There is little justification to keep it once they have been. No one will stick to it and it won’t get through Parliament, they had a hard enough time getting it through this time let alone once the vulnerable have been vaccinated.

I thought they were aiming to vaccinate everyone over 18.

Do we know who is classed as vulnerable when it comes to the vaccine? I've read it's bit the same as the clinically vulnerable re Covid so would like to know where I stand.

I'm 47y, clinically vulnerable and I teach.
I caught Covid at school in October and ended up with a hospital stay, complications, life long medication as a result and was absent for seven weeks. I'm back at work now but struggling with fatigue, breathlessness and now a flare up of my arthritis due to being ill (so will have knocked my general immune system) and not being allowed to take my meds when I had Covid.

I can't do this again but I don't want to leave my job either. I work right across the school and as it's infants there's no social distancing at all. I'm currently restricted to one year group mainly, since returning to work after being ill, but that can't be a long term thing.

There's no guarantee I'm immune so catching it again in the future is a possibility. But now my blood pressure is also an issue (thanks to Covid) I'm concerned my risk is even higher next time.

Interestingly a lot of the women teachers who got it at my school were aged late 30s to their 50s. We've caught it more readily than the younger staff. And several of us in this bracket are struggling afterwards with fatigue, etc. Finding it very hard to bounce back from.

@starrynight19

I would hope by September 2021 when hopefully school staff / children will be vaccinated. I am not buying Into the ‘schools just need to get on with it’ scenario.

I doubt children there will even be a vaccine licensed for children by next September.

I'm sure id seen an article saying that close contact professions like the emergency services teachers bus drivers etc would also be offered the vaccination at some point no idea what priority number it was though.

@Aragog it’s those who are classed as ECV who were asked to shield.

@Hercwasonaroll

It won’t impact school teachers as much as they won’t need to isolate either.

Why would teachers not need to isolate? We aren't being vaccinated.

People will still need to isolate once the vulnerable have been vaccinated.

But why? The government aren't planning on vaccinating healthy under 50s do you seriously think we'll have to isolate forever?

[quote mumsneedwine]@Waxonwaxoff0 phew. I'm very reassured. I'll make sure I pass that on to my 3 colleagues in ICU. [/quote]
3 colleagues in ICU? That's fairly unusual isn't it.