I'm worried about kids going to school and bringing it home

[Molly333]

As said in the title I'm worried about my children going to school then bringing it home as I'm a single parent and without me my children have no one . Sorry im panicking

Isn't it amazing how posters on here are so confident to guarantee we'll be fine. I'm guessing they don't have family members under 50 and with no prior conditions affected in a life-changing way, like I do. Or family members who have died. I guess because I'm obese I'm probably disposable as well. I'm also a single mum and I know where you're coming from OP. My kids don't want to go back until I'm vaccinated (and are enjoying some home time, as well as getting on very well in their studies). I don't want them to go back until I'm vaccinated. Funnily enough, the fewer go back the more it protects us all from another lockdown. But even in that context some people seem to think giving folk a choice is unreasonable.

@IloveJKRowling

anything can happen to any of us at any time , and that includes all parents , 2 parent families are not immune to car accidents and other tragedies , i must admit im struggling to understand why its only catching covid that is so terrifying

Because there are measures in place (speed limits, seat belts, traffic lights, ban on drink driving, ban on using mobile phones) to minimise the risks of road traffic accidents and we have some choice there - we can drive more carefully, we can wear our seatbelts.

There are measures across the rest of society to minimise the risks of covid but not in schools - we're expected to send our kids into crowded, indoor environments for hours a day which is the exact type of environment warned against by Dr Fauci. If they had social distancing, rotas, masks I'd be fine with sending my kids to school - but they don't. They're not taking basic measures that could and do (in other countries) save lives.

I want to minimise the risk of covid not eliminate it. I don't think that is unreasonable. We do have the highest death rate among comparable countries. How many tens of thousands of deaths would have been avoided had reasonable precautions been taken? Masks not only protect others but they reduce the viral dose so reduce the risk of severe covid. So they would protect teachers from more severe outcomes.

I could be hit by lightening tomorrow, but there's nothing I can do about that.

The thing I'm angry about is that I'm expected to send my kids into an unsafe environment that could be made safer very easily - SAGE and Indie SAGE, WHO, Unicef all have plans for how to open schools as safely as possible during the pandemic and the government has ignored it all.

This. All of this.

I cannot believe this government once again has ignored all sensible advice and practice in other countries. Because we are just so special in this country none of this applies.

I also cannot believe the minimising on here and other threads. Covid is a completely different set of risks to road safety and you all bloody well know it.

I cannot believe this government once again has ignored all sensible advice and practice in other countries. Because we are just so special in this country none of this applies.

Me too @Sidesaladofchips .

And people who try to point it out are being derided.

Plus we are on an average of 10,000 cases a day which is still huge, vaccine or no vaccine.

And millions of over 50s will not have had their first jab or achieved immunity by the time they open schools to everyone in one go .

I feel down for personal reasons, down like everyone else because the past year has been so hard, and now down because they don’t have the foresight to allow things like rotas in secondary schools, at least for the first few weeks.

I’m a single parent to three teens all in secondary and work as admin in a different secondary school. On a personal level I am 52 and no hint of vaccinations for anywhere near my age group where I live. As admin I don’t face the exposure teachers face, but I am on the covid testing team at school and that’s going to be masses of exposure right there once everyone comes back. So I’m a bit worried about all of us on a personal level, but not too much as so far we seem to have bypassed covid or had it unknowingly - before testing / mild symptoms.

Oops did not mean to post yet.

Was about to say that I am a bit worried on a personal level, but more worried about what the all in one go opening of schools will do to the figures across the country which might mean we are a long way from coming out of this properly.

Also not sure why all frontline workers including school staff haven’t been somehow prioritised for the vaccination.

I do want schools to open - I can see my teens suffering, especially one of them, and know that children generally are suffering - but how exactly would having rotas for example, more easy in secondary school I know, been a bad thing??

@Mumblechum0

Unless you’re over 50, obese or CEV there’s nothing to worry about imo. Worst case scenario is you’ll feel rough for a few days.

This sort of response always amazes me, as if the person posting it thinks that being over 50, CEV or obese are really rare conditions that only apply to a tiny percentage of the population.

Millions of over 50s and CV people have not yet had their jab I should have said.

@IloveJKRowling

anything can happen to any of us at any time , and that includes all parents , 2 parent families are not immune to car accidents and other tragedies , i must admit im struggling to understand why its only catching covid that is so terrifying

Because there are measures in place (speed limits, seat belts, traffic lights, ban on drink driving, ban on using mobile phones) to minimise the risks of road traffic accidents and we have some choice there - we can drive more carefully, we can wear our seatbelts.

There are measures across the rest of society to minimise the risks of covid but not in schools - we're expected to send our kids into crowded, indoor environments for hours a day which is the exact type of environment warned against by Dr Fauci. If they had social distancing, rotas, masks I'd be fine with sending my kids to school - but they don't. They're not taking basic measures that could and do (in other countries) save lives.

I want to minimise the risk of covid not eliminate it. I don't think that is unreasonable. We do have the highest death rate among comparable countries. How many tens of thousands of deaths would have been avoided had reasonable precautions been taken? Masks not only protect others but they reduce the viral dose so reduce the risk of severe covid. So they would protect teachers from more severe outcomes.

I could be hit by lightening tomorrow, but there's nothing I can do about that.

The thing I'm angry about is that I'm expected to send my kids into an unsafe environment that could be made safer very easily - SAGE and Indie SAGE, WHO, Unicef all have plans for how to open schools as safely as possible during the pandemic and the government has ignored it all.

Absolutely agree with this. I think the people poking fun at others worrying are feeling superior which is possibly their own way of managing the situation. However worrying about the pandemic does not make you weak or foolish. You can also see from this thread how people are seeing the vaccine as the cure. It’s not as simple as that. It takes two doses and then several weeks to become effective- so months from now at best. The vaccine doesn’t stop you catching Covid. The plan is that it stops you becoming hospitalised by preventing the worst symptoms. There are people who have caught Covid despite having had the first vaccine and are seriously ill with it in hospital. People insisting that the ones worrying are the fools need to look at themselves.

I’m the same as you op. I have young children and I am a single parent. I would much rather them be at home. I’m not actually worried/ anxious about it but I wouldn’t send them to school if it wasn’t mandatory. (And it is).

Realistically you just have to try not to worry. Take precautions where you can and trust that the school will inform you if people are ill. I think schools will be getting pupils to test a couple of times a week using the LF tests so at least that will help with tracking. And you have to think that if you do catch it then hopefully you won’t get it badly. The odds are in your favour still.

@classyflora - have you seen the latest vaccine data? This isn’t a stab in the dark?! After one dose, both vaccines stopped hospital admissions by 80% .. that’s huge. AND vaccines DO stop transmissions. Please read the science. The reason scientists couldn’t say if it did or didn’t is because there wasn’t enough data as still so few people vaccinated. The data is now showing both vaccines prevent transmission by 2/3rds. Also huge.

The people seriously ill in hospital are 99% those who unfortunately caught it a couple weeks or less after the vaccine, so not fully effective. Also, no vaccine is 100%. Some people will become ill. We have to accept that & get on with life. Life is a risk, it always has been. Much like we mitigate the risk of death by wearing a seatbelt in a car, we mitigate the risk of death from covid (or flu) by having a vaccine. Neither are 100% fail safe. You can die when wearing a seatbelt & doing the speed limit. You could be the unlucky 20% who gets seriously ill from covid.

The vaccines ARE our way out of this. But covid will always be here & people need to start to get over this crippling fear of it, for the vast vast majority it’s not remotely a death sentence. I’m 33 & my chances of dying are about 0.1% .. I’m not scared of that at all. Obviously if you are obese or CV then that’s different.. vaccines are on the way thankfully.

Oh & I lost a much loved relative to COVID. I get it. But I’m not going to live in fear. When I went to say goodbye to said relative, she told me to not let this virus ruin my kids life’s or mine as tomorrow is never promised at any time, pandemic or not. I’ll honour her life by living mine, sensibly and as allowed by rules.

@Cissyandflora even.. autocorrect 🥴

[quote MoirasRoses]@Cissyandflora even.. autocorrect 🥴[/quote]
Thank you for your post. It’s really interesting. I do think vaccines are the way out of this too and I am reassured by the data. I’m just also hearing what is happening in my local hospital and I don’t think we are getting the full picture at all. I don’t think we can trust the government because they have done really badly in this crisis.
(Also I’m very fat- and getting fatter but that’s my own fault!)