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) *

@AnniversaryScaresMe

This is ridiculous. Kids mixing in schools whilst adults still can't see even one person at home? They are torturing the population.

And it does nothing to help. The govt have said that children A. May often be asymptomatic B. Are super-spreaders.

Where is the logic?
Agree we need to see family & friends, and outdoors appears to lessen the risk.

@chollok that episode certainly affected her life - she had multiple health problems after, took her years to recover properly.

In all honesty I am way more concerned about lost education, my DD was very middling at school anyway and I am really worried about how I am going to make up for this huge gap she has had.

This is my worry more than any Covid or long Covid worries. The prospect of either her or I catching Covid has always been bottom of my list of worries this year in all honesty.

kids do not suffer we know that now!
What an incredibly stupid blanket statement to make.

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

Sorry but where have I said he is locked up?

Remmy123

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

Only one of these statements is correct.

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

Chances of what? Long term damage? We don't know that, we haven't the data.

Not allowed to sit down! How fucking ridiculous

@Chollok ok then - keep them at home if you are worried .. but how long will they be for? Forever?? It's not going away

Kids get a little cold if anything at all - that is not going to cause long covid - get a grip.

@Pastanred Everything that I have read suggests that group 6 is between 7 and 8 million people. For example:

www.bbc.com/news/health-56039127

...and another stupid statement.
Most children have mild symptoms, let's not worry about the rest (or their relatives)

@Chollok I assume by keeping him out of school you won't allow him to play sport / mix with other kids?! That's what I mean.

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown no not stupid - I'm referring to children (not relatives)

I assume by keeping him out of school you won't allow him to play sport / mix with other kids?! That's what I mean.

He enjoys neither "sport" nor playing with other children (and yes he's been in childcare since the age of 1 so he's had plenty of socialisation!). What he does enjoy is seeing his grandmother so if I had to choose between another couple of months off school or seeing her then I'd choose her. And I could also potentially form a bubble with another homeschooling family, which would still be significantly less risk than him mixing with his bubble at school (which is 90 other kids).

If by sports you mean exercise, then he does plenty of that.

even going by the bbc - all groups 5-9 come to 17 million people - at the current average rate of 400.000 vaccines a day its only take about 6 weeks so all be done by end of march

@Xenia

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

If we do that the likelihood is that we will get a mutation that is vaccine resistant and will be back to square one. Sounds sensible

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown

...and another stupid statement. Most children have mild symptoms, let's not worry about the rest (or their relatives)

Or the staff in schools or shop workers when they go to buy food or care staff if they need treatment for other things etc.

Group 5&6 at those figures would still be done in 3 weeks which is before 8th march

So all vulnerable teachers will be done

@Chollok what will happen in a couple of months tho?

Kids get a little cold if anything at all - that is not going to cause long covid - get a grip

You are sadly misinformed. Long covid isn't just as a result of serious illness. My 19 year old brother currently has it and he was asymptomatic. He's been unable to work since May.

what will happen in a couple of months tho?

I'll reassess the situation based on a number of factors including community case numbers, emerging new variants and improved knowledge about effects of the vaccine on immunity and severity of illness.

@Chollok

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".

that's not a life . My kids need a lot more than their parents, they need friends their own age, they need banter, they need teasing, they need to play.

We can go on as many walks/bike rides, take sledges and scooters, roller blades, skate boards.. as we want

it's still not a life. They miss fun, jokes from people of the same age, they miss birthday parties. They need to learn to be independent, they need the social aspect and a chance to a healthy and happy future. They need friends!

The toddlers age when they are better at home with their parents than anywhere else are long gone. I would have gone crazy during the lockdown if I had had no friends! Even if I can still mainly catch up virtually, my kids deserve the same chance to have friends.

I am a lot less bothered about it, but they also need proper teachers doing a better job than me!

@Pastanred

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

You are in for a nasty surprise if you really think that will happen. Virologists know a lot more than you do, fortunately.

@Chollok in referring to young children - not a 19 year old!!!

@mumsneedwine

I'm 53. Yet I'm supposed to walk into a room with 30 others, no masks, no social distancing, no safety measures (except the magic tape on the floor), 6 times a day. No vaccine. If it's so important to get schools fully open then why not keep school staff as safe as you can so they can stay open ? Vaccinate all over 50 staff this week. Then all others asap. This could be done in 24 hours at current rate. Or are our lives worth nothing ? It's acknowledged over 50s are at risk or we wouldn't be priority group 9.

Surely there's something that could be done to accelerate teachers getting their first jab at least. There is capacity in the larger vaccination centres. Or could mobile units go to schools in the next few weeks? Or even teachers put first on the emergency list to call when there are vaccines left over. I'd hope someone involved with vaccine rollout could think creatively about how to do this.

Reading some of these comments it’s like we don’t have a successful vaccination program going on.

I think they shouldn’t fine for keeping kids at home. So all those worried about Long COVID/ passing it on to vaccinated relatives etc can just homeschool.

And I know someone will come along now and say what about the MUTANT VARIANTS..

Well we can’t all stay locked up indefinitely because of what might happen.