Sir Keir Starmer calling for nursery closure!

[Boogie5678]

Sorry I’m not sure how to link this but it’s on BBC news.

A healthy nursery worker or teacher needs to be protected before I do - a healthy office worker, for example.

Sure. It will be a while before we get to that stage though.

@Remmy123

The ones who want them closed - do you have nursery kids yourself?

Why does that matter? Either kids are disease vectors or they aren't. If schools need to close then nurseries need to close.

Nursery staff or childminders who think their work is unsafe should be allowed to use annual leave or be given unpaid leave so they can stay at home which is exactly the same as is being asked of working parents with school closures.

@Covidcovid. But what if nurseries decide to close altogether since it's uneconomical to stay open for KW children?

They shouid stay open for those who wfh in my opinion.

Keeping children that age safe when doing a full time job is incredibly stressful.

@Idontbelieveit12

It seems everyone’s finances are more important than the lives of Early Years workers.

Not at all, but labour can't keep wailing for things to close without proper consideration for the consequences, if early years settings should close, then they should close, but employers should be forced to make allowances for this, and not just lightly encouraged to be flexible, because lots aren't being

Why does that matter?

So no then

I think you need to weigh up where the biggest impacts will be.

If NHS resources are on the brink of collapse, then certainly here in London a substantial proportion of those key frontline workers depend on private nurseries for child care which will not remain open for a limited number of children.

This will then increase the pressures on the critical NHS resource. This impact will be substantially greater than any increase in transmission and risk overall by keeping them open.

I am going to say something really controversial now but I don’t think there will be reliable data on how it spreads in nurseries.
Nurseries are so poorly supported by the government and at risk of closing that I think some will do anything to stay open. We have had “no” cases in our huge nursery. Yet frequently the very young staff members are off with a “tummy bug” or on “holiday”. I would not be surprised if the managers tell the young girls to go off quietly if they test positive and not alert track and trace in order to stop the nursery closing. It just seems far too suspicious that a huge nursery with very young staff haven’t had one case in an area with very high numbers.
I am not blaming the nurseries if this is the case, the staff are so poorly paid and the nurseries themselves so badly supported. It is a case of survival.
NB* not saying all settings but I bet this does happen.

Let's hope they don't close.

@TheKeatingFive

Why does that matter?

So no then

But its irrelevant. They will be closed to protect the wider population (of which I am one).

@MrsMiaWallis well because those whose kids are at nursery will know that the rates are v low - mine and surrounding haven't had one case and that includes the teachers.

Most people (like yourself) have no idea of how hard it is working /keeping 1 year old safe.

do you not understand that you might transmit it to someone less likely to breeze through it?

I’m being careful about my contacts and I’d expect people more vulnerable than me to be even more so.

employers should be forced to make allowances for this, and not just lightly encouraged to be flexible, because lots aren't being

Last time round "being flexible" was allowing a lot of people women the option of doing their work after they'd spent most of the day home schooling and toddler wrangling.

Which was great

[quote Remmy123]@MrsMiaWallis well because those whose kids are at nursery will know that the rates are v low - mine and surrounding haven't had one case and that includes the teachers.

Most people (like yourself) have no idea of how hard it is working /keeping 1 year old safe.[/quote]
Yeah, I've got three teens at home, missing school/uni/life in general. We all have to make sacrifices.

Hopefully nurseries will close in London or cities at least.

They will be closed to protect the wider population (of which I am one).

There are so many more risks to the wider populations health and wellbeing than just Covid. Forcing the families of the smallest children into poverty bring just one if them.

@TheKeatingFive

They will be closed to protect the wider population (of which I am one).

There are so many more risks to the wider populations health and wellbeing than just Covid. Forcing the families of the smallest children into poverty bring just one if them.

Not all parents who use nurseries are in poverty 🤣

@MrsMiaWallis but no nursery age kids then? So no idea how hard it is? Though not.

This thread is not relevant to you - sorry.

Oh on top of that I have to home school two older children too so no idea how I will cope.

Not all parents who use nurseries are in poverty

What about the ones that will be if they can’t work

Ha ha we weren’t in poverty until we had to pay nursery fees

Not all parents who use nurseries are in poverty 🤣

No one said they were, but a heck of a lot of them will be if one of their parent's has to give up their job because there's no childcare. It's hardly rocket science...

Not all parents who use nurseries are in poverty 🤣
A lot of them will be if they have to give up work.

But I'm glad you find the prospect funny.

For the nursery and childcare workers feeling sidelines. Please consider joining a union. A lot of work is being done by UVW who are a union for people in industries that are not typically unionised : www.uvwunion.org.uk/en/sectors/united-childcare-workers-ucw/

@SandysMam

Oh, absolutely. Plenty will also be doing this, especially if they're the sole earner on a lower wage- they would come in and continue to work. What other choice do they realistically have?

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And regarding my previous point regarding 24h vaccinations, the Gov have had around a year to plan for a vaccine being made available. Maybe they should have expanded industry which could make the Oxford vaccine, for example. Rather than sitting and waiting nearly a year for one being made available, then having everything come out slowly in drips and drabs. The same goes for PPE and that monumental fuck up, earlier on, though. Everything is always far too slow and far too late.

@GoldenOmber

I dread to think how I could do that with a toddler and hats off to people who manage to work from home with one... Please tell me how

It’s horrendous. Feels like failing at both work and parenting all the time. I do a lot of emails and calls from my phone while walking around the house/garden after my toddler, and I cram in hours at my laptop after the DC are all in bed (except that’s really late now because there’s no school/nursery to tire them out). It isn’t enough and I’m not keeping up with it. And that’s with an employer trying their absolute best to be understanding.

Nurseries have been closed here in Scotland since before Christmas, and the sum total of government support for working parents has been “we know this is tough” and “we expect employers to be flexible”.

I would have hoped that Keri Starmer might recognise the consequences of closing nurseries when people need them to work, but eh, it’s just childcare isn’t it. Doesn’t really matter.

Same situation here as also in Scotland. I emailed my MSP and he replied saying he was sorry it was “inconvenient” having my child at home. I haven’t replied yet as I’m struggling to write a considered reply without expletives.