Sunday Times just reported that all schools in England will be back on 8 March

[LimitIsUp]

This quote from the article:
"All schoolchildren will return to the classroom on March 8 under plans to start lifting the lockdown, Boris Johnson will announce in a national address next week.

Under the government’s blueprint to reopen society, adults will initially have only small new freedoms so as to prioritise the return of schools — a move ministers know will raise the coronavirus R number for infections.

Adults will be allowed to sit down outdoors for a coffee or on a park bench with one friend, or with members of their own family — a slight relaxation of the current rule, which permits outdoor meetings only while standing up.

The decision to reopen both primary and secondary schools goes against the advice of some government scientists. But the prime minister was swayed by faster than expected reductions in hospital admissions and infections."

I can link to the article but for those of you without a subscription, there is a pay wall

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/back-to-school-on-march-8-as-johnson-starts-lifting-lockdown-0v5zbz5bt

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• Title edited by MNHQ (it said October, we've changed it to March as reported) *

I agree @LimitIsUp. I am in priority group 6 (due to my weight which I know makes me pretty hated by many in MN land) but at the end of the day I didn’t make up the priority list. Like you I will happily wait for my place in the queue but the JCVI have made up the priority list on a clinical basis so I wouldn’t be happy at being shunted down for someone at less clinical risk of severe consequences. That’s why I think teachers should be done after the over 50s

@Pastanred do you mean group 5? Group 6 is about 7 million. See here with omnivaccine who are collecting stats and guardian. (I use omnivaccine but also googled and guardian came up.)

Apologies for a advert in guardian one!

I'd love schools to reopen fully (they never closed) and would be interested to hear what steps are being taken to make them safer, and to reduce community spread as soon as all children return. Like last time, probably sod all, and like last time, it will all start again. Nothing has been learned.

Plus this virus is clearly seasonal, as are most respiratory viruses - we are heading into Spring and summer, let's take advantage of that.

Flu season always peaks in Jan/Feb too and , though Flu has mostly been wiped out this year - Covid is the dominant respiratory pathogen this year it would seem.

Let's take advantage of the seasons.

No hatred from me RedcurrantPuff - its not really a choice to have a BMI over 40, there are usually reasons why people are in that unfortunate position

@SteveBrexit

I am speechless by the adults who would resent children to have some kind of life because THEY are not yet allowed to meet friends

which most people do anyway, with the flipping bubble system
but whose social life is a hell of a lot important than the kids! A few months in a adult life cannot compare of the ones in a child's life!

Exactly- how can any adult prioritise seeing more friends, over children being at school? As an adult, you are able to meet one with friend at least? My 7 year old can’t!? My 7 year old isn’t meant to meet any friends for a walk because each parent would need to be there too! 10 weeks lock down is a hugely long time for a 7 year old!! Far longer than it is for an adult

Genuinely, is absolutely no one concerned about either long covid in children or long term effects of covid in children?

I am concerned about both because I simply don't see that we have the data to categorically say that neither are a worry. And yes I know you can get post viral illnesses from many viruses but those viruses are a known quantity and covid is not. It has been proven that covid causes organ damage even in mild cases.

Does that really not bother anyone?

Tryingnottopanic

I went off this in the guardian today

Telegraph I mean

Genuinely, is absolutely no one concerned about either long covid in children or long term effects of covid in children?

well, yes

but I am also concerned about life-changing injuries on my kids following a car crash

It doesn't stop me taking them on holidays or parties by road!

Ultimately keeping them locked up in a "safe room" is damaging for certain, while covid is only a risk.

We've had 5 positive cases in the last couple of weeks amongst the keyworker kids, resulting in 60 odd kids having to isolate, and that's with less than 10% of the school in. Schools may go back but don't think the massive disruption to education caused by cycles of isolation is going anywhere! some of our older years spent more weeks at home isolating than in school last term, but the media didn't kick up a fuss about that because schools were 'open'

I'm a teacher and a parent and really feel children need to be back in school in some form- even if on a part time rota system or specific year groups. I have been teaching key worker vulnerable children face to face and wearing a visor. Our school (UK) also has a one way system and constant hand washing, staggered lunch and break times. It just needs some thinking outside the box and creative planning to make it work. Yes as a teacher I do feel scared going into school, but we have to make the return to school work somehow for the sake of the children. They have really suffered during this.

Year 13 have had a really terrible time so hope they are one of the first years to go back. This hasn't just affected their exams, but also the next stage of their education and lack of socialisation has been so damaging.

but I am also concerned about life-changing injuries on my kids following a car crash

So am I, so I take all necessary precautions including rear facing my child for as long as possible (which BTW is completely normal in my home country, it is the law that you do it til age 4 at least).

Necessary precautions to keep children safe in school are not being taken.

If we can vaccinate the vulnerable then we can stop the isolations however and just let it run riot.

Ultimately keeping them locked up in a "safe room" is damaging for certain, while covid is only a risk.

My son isn't "locked up". He's out and about with me for walks, in the garden, at my mum's who lives alone and is in her bubble.

I accept plenty of kids are in a position where the above isn't possible but please let's not be hyperbolic and say that if they aren't in school they are "locked up".

I really want to see all children back at school as soon as possible but I think it's reckless to open secondary schools in full on the 8th. All primary years plus secondary exam years seems more sensible, with all secondary pupils in before Easter if all goes well. If they do go with this, I think teachers (secondary in particular) need to be a higher priority for vaccination.

@Chollok no I'm really am not concerned, honestly.

The IFR of Covid in children is tiny. As for long Covid - well as you say post viral fatigue isn't new, my flat mate in my first year of uni had to defer and go home for a year for her mum to nurse her back to health because of PVR after glandular fever. She couldn't even get out of bed for months. She was only 18 at the time.

So the risk has always been there - to me you can't live your life afraid of everything/every eventuality. You just end up not living your life to the full.

But to be fair I am used to pathogens (ITU nurse) - my whole working life has been involved with them, I was exposed to open TB twice in my twenties.

More concerned about ny daughters lost education TBH.

@Xenia

If we can vaccinate the vulnerable then we can stop the isolations however and just let it run riot.

So if positive cases are found in schools, we shouldn’t bother isolating positive staff or children or their contacts, we should just keep them all in?

@Xenia

I am against the mandatory CV19 measures and hope every child can get back into a classroom, the 100% ban on weddings goes (now almost 2 months without it even if only 2 people present!). People have accepted major breaches of their human rights and now is the time to end it all.

That's easy to say when you don't have children at school and when you don't work in a school.

Prioritisation is based on age and comorbodities, and that important principle should be maintained
It's not just that though is it, OP, there are occupations that have quite rightly been prioritised for the vaccine such as health and social care workers. Plenty of healthy 25 year old will have been vaccinated due to their occupation.
I can only assume people of the gung-ho, if you're not dead it's fine, category have not known many people who had a bad dose of Covid or who suffer still from long Covid.

As for long Covid - well as you say post viral fatigue isn't new, my flat mate in my first year of uni had to defer and go home for a year for her mum to nurse her back to health because of PVR after glandular fever. She couldn't even get out of bed for months. She was only 18 at the time.

I know that, but as per my previous point glandular fever is a known quantity and covid isn't.

They didn't know the long term effects of polio in children when it first surfaced.

Any word on the new measures put in place to make schools much more Covid safe for children and teachers?

Thought not.

I agree with xenia

Once the priority groups have been done, isolations and distancing should all stop.

I don't expect any restrictions for a virus that doesn't leave people in hospital
Once priority groups done, hardly anyone will be getting admitted

Yes long covid exists but we don't ruin economy and peoples lived for pneumonia etc

Luckily government have said restrictions will end thankfully

@Radio4Rocks

Any word on the new measures put in place to make schools much more Covid safe for children and teachers?

Thought not.

My DH is getting his black/yellow tape at the front of the classroom replaced. The virus knows it mustn’t cross the tape. Therefore it’s all good

@Chollok COVID isn't going away so you either keep your child locked up for the rest of life or you get out With it.

Chances are incredibly low - kids do not suffer we know that now!

There are daily risk factors to our children but you cannot keep them at home it's unreasonable.