Anti-lockdown campaigners using children to push their agenda

[noblegiraffe]

I can't be the only one disgusted with how certain groups are using faux concern about children to push the earliest dismantling of lockdown restrictions.

They are loudly catastrophising on the front pages of the press about our kids. The lost generation. £40,000 in lost earnings. Articles about schools full of traumatised kids suffering PTSD caused by lockdown.

And the solution they propose is always to re-open schools as early as possible. Even before March 8th. Regardless of covid.

Now, the situation in schools before Christmas was awful. Some areas of the country had less than 50% attendance due to the new variant ripping through secondary schools. Secondary school kids were the most infected subset of the population by far, and are now the second least infected subset of the population behind the 70+ age group after schools were closed, demonstrating that there was a massive problem with transmission in secondary schools. It wasn't good for pupils' mental health or education to be in a situation when they didn't know if they'd be in school or out at the drop of a hat. But before Christmas, there was complete media silence on the impact that this was having on children.

CAMHS has been devastated by cuts. Waiting lists are intolerable and children in dire need of support don't even qualify. Same for social care around vulnerable children.

Yet you won't hear these people clamouring for schools re-opening as soon as possible talking at all about how to improve safety measures in schools to prevent the scenario we had before Christmas happening again. You won't hear them demanding more funding for children's mental health services and for more support for social care services.

And the reason you won't hear that is that THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT.

The reason that they want schools re-opened as quickly as possible is because the message was that schools had to open first.

They can't get what they really want open (everything else) until schools are open, hence the massive focus on schools and how terrible things are for children.

This catastrophising isn't good for parents or kids. It's scaremongering and unhelpful.

I know that there are kids (and parents) really struggling with their mental health and worried about their education. Blaring out messages about how terrible things are and how they will never recover because you want to hype up the message about schools going back is irresponsible and sickening.

We need sensible and calm conversations about how to support children and parents. We need funding for schools and massive investment in support services. We need a long-term program of recovery, not 9 months of a Catch-Up Tsar and quick fixes. We need a measured and sensible approach to schools re-opening that won't see kids in and out and in and out due to lack of mitigation measures causing rampant covid spread (particularly with the new variant).

We need these anti-lockdown campaigners to shut up and stop dominating the narrative.

Please don't pretend you give a monkeys about my daughter while expecting her to social distance from other children.

@GiveMeNovocain

Please don't pretend you give a monkeys about my daughter while expecting her to social distance from other children.

Why can’t you care about someone and encourage them to socially distance? What a weird thing to say....

GiveMeNovocain

Don't pretend to give a monkeys about education when you want schools to open with no mitigating measures.

@Monkeytennis97

Just heard on bbc that evidence is emerging from Israel that although vaccinated hospitalization rates are dropping, the unvaccinated hospitalization rates are increasing. Of course there will be unknown variables on this statement but it does give food for thought.

Surely that’s just logical? The percentage of unvaccinated being hospitalised should be lower than the percentage of vaccinated being hospitalised otherwise the vaccine wouldn’t be doing its job would it?

@Staffdontblowitnow

I think what we all want is a properly planned return that does not lead to another spike and another lockdown.

A big bang approach of all being back at once may lead to a surge in cases.

I want Whitty and the gang to draw up a properly phased plan that we can all follow which leads to a permanent return. That way we can say to our children that there will be no more lockdowns.

If it means that shops, pubs, and restaurants cant reopen until some time after half term then so be it.

Yes this is EXACTLY what we need. Well said.

DH works on vaccines and the word in the scientific community is that there will be no end point to this for a while.
The nature of a virus is to mutate and adapt to its environment, hence the mutated strand which developed to increasingly pass between children in schools once adults were working from home.
We will need regular vaccines, and possibly further lockdowns, and flux between normality and varying degrees of restrictions.
Vaccines should help but many deaths have occurred in younger age groups (my fully fit DH himself had it and needed hospital care). It was really scary. New strains will appear over time. Added to that, many poorer countries don't have access to vaccines as we do. This nightmare isn't going to just go away over night.

Those hoping that the vaccine will bring a definitive end to the situation need to get real. It will be a steady process. Getting our children back to school and our lives back to normal will take more than just a jab in the arm.

@bumbleymummy the rates are increasing- more unvaccinated in hospital than before.

@Suzeyshoes

DH works on vaccines and the word in the scientific community is that there will be no end point to this for a while. The nature of a virus is to mutate and adapt to its environment, hence the mutated strand which developed to increasingly pass between children in schools once adults were working from home. We will need regular vaccines, and possibly further lockdowns, and flux between normality and varying degrees of restrictions. Vaccines should help but many deaths have occurred in younger age groups (my fully fit DH himself had it and needed hospital care). It was really scary. New strains will appear over time. Added to that, many poorer countries don't have access to vaccines as we do. This nightmare isn't going to just go away over night.

Those hoping that the vaccine will bring a definitive end to the situation need to get real. It will be a steady process. Getting our children back to school and our lives back to normal will take more than just a jab in the arm.

In that case I'd rather be dead, and I'm sure many others would too.

[quote Monkeytennis97]@bumbleymummy the rates are increasing- more unvaccinated in hospital than before.[/quote]
Erm, how can that be?

When previously everyone was unvaccinated?

It's fairly obvious that a higher % of icu patients will be unvaccinated because the vaccinated people won't need icu.

That's not really the shocking revelation you think it is.

@Staffdontblowitnow

Totally agree. There's no point rushing back to school only to see the figures fly up again.

[quote Monkeytennis97]@bumbleymummy the rates are increasing- more unvaccinated in hospital than before.[/quote]
Well yes, that’s because the vaccinated are less likely to end up in hospital. This is hardly a surprise is it?

Agree

I completely agree with the original post.

As a teacher, I am ready to go back to school whenever the government tell me to. If that’s the 8th of March, I’ll be there bright and early.

But I’m stunned that in these weeks we’ve been off, NOTHING has been done in schools to make them safer. So, I’m fully expecting the shit to hit the fan.

Whilst, I’m willing to put myself into this position, there is no way on this planet my son will be returning to school yet...as I’ve said on another thread. I’ll wait to see what happens first. He’s 15 and is moving to his grandparents along with a cousin until after Easter (my sister is also working in a school).

I’m sorry, but I think going back without any of the mitigation’s other countries have put in place (mask wearing, ventilation etc) is asking for trouble.

I don’t care whether parents think I’m scaring their kids...I’ve bought myself a very good mask and visor as well as disposable gloves and I’ll be wearing them until I personally feel they aren’t necessary. I will also be keeping my distance and marking an area out at the front of my class, that children will not be allowed to come into. I deserve the same protections that other workers are entitled to. Personally I felt my pupils should also be entitled to these too, but clearly that isn’t going to happen.

I think most sensible people want a phased return to school based on numbers of infections and numbers vaccinated.

I'm at least pleased this time that all UK governments have acknowledged that schools reopening should be a higher priority than beer gardens and (in Scotland) garden centres.

Vaccines won't solve everything but at least we're at a different point in the process than we were back in September.

Hester Taiwan has had 9 Covid deaths as a result of acting promptly from mid December 2019 when it was clear a novel coronavirus was being transmitted in Wuhan and plenty of other countries have kept their death rates below four figures. That’s a very big space between effective and prompt action by governments and incompetence on the part of our government

I had a looonnng discussion with my DH about this last night. He's a deputy head in a big secondary in London. His personal view is that he can't wait to go back. The more interesting point he made is that "safe" is a pretty pointless term - no environment is "safe". Staying in bed all day is not "safe", neither is, walking to a corner shop. Schools are, by their nature, busy and full places. If there was an attempt to make them "safe" then, aside from the fact that it would be impossible as there are no absolutes, it would also make them miserable, sterile and hostile places for students and staff. You accept that being a teacher comes with loads of interactions and do there are increased risks of germs etc. Covid is not the only risk.

I agree wholeheartedly- it might be unpalatable to some reading this, but many threads on here an other sites confirm your post.
I also think individuals spouting about mental health etc are far more concerned with their own lack of convenience brought by pressures of home schooling.

I'm with you on reopening-of course we all want this but the appetite for doing this at any cost is baffling. We need slow, measured sensible strategies and a complete overhaul of society's expectations of the education system

@bumbleymummy but the vaccinated rates shouldn't make any difference to the unvaccinated rates, they don't just suddenly take their places when the vaccinated are no longer in hospital. Surely the numbers of unvaccinated needing hospital increasing is concerning?

@FrippEnos

HesterShaw1

And given that you apparently missed the first question, well done you.

And why should I ignore your snipe at teachers?

honestly Fripp you should know by now that not everyone likes teachers.

I think maybe mumsnet is best on the topic of courgette recipes and weaning. Not so much on big topics.

@TooManyPlatesInMotion

I had a looonnng discussion with my DH about this last night. He's a deputy head in a big secondary in London. His personal view is that he can't wait to go back. The more interesting point he made is that "safe" is a pretty pointless term - no environment is "safe". Staying in bed all day is not "safe", neither is, walking to a corner shop. Schools are, by their nature, busy and full places. If there was an attempt to make them "safe" then, aside from the fact that it would be impossible as there are no absolutes, it would also make them miserable, sterile and hostile places for students and staff. You accept that being a teacher comes with loads of interactions and do there are increased risks of germs etc. Covid is not the only risk.

Yeah and I bet as a Dep Head he doesn't have as much contact with kids as a main scale class teacher. There are some roles in schools where risks can be mitigated somewhat.....

We all want to go back @TooManyPlatesInMotion but I want to be in a situation where once we are back that we are not going into another lock down come May half term or, god forbid at the end of the academic year.

This all comes down to the government's covid exit strategy. I want it well planned and not some back of a fag packet type exercise.

@Ohnomoreno

I think maybe mumsnet is best on the topic of courgette recipes and weaning. Not so much on big topics.

Absolutely fantastic OP.

Excellent.

Faux concern about children? On a parenting site? A great look Children are being badly affected by all this. They need proper access to education. And social interaction.
And im child free by choice