Can kids in households with Covid still go to school?

[fastwigglylines]

When schools were last open, did you realise DC in households with Covid could still go to school without the school knowing?

Will this still be the case come 8th March, does anyone know?

I realised this before Christmas, when the mother of a child in DS's class tested positive for covid. DS's friend was kept home for two days then sent back to school to mix with all the other DC.

I asked the school what happens if a parent gets covid and they said that Track and Trace only gets in contact with direct contacts of the person with Covid, so if a child hadn't had a positive test, then they won't be informed.

At the time, you could only ask for a test if you had symptoms. The child had no symptoms and parents not prepared to lie to get one. So they sent the child into school, and did not inform the school there was covid at home.

School said nothing they could do as they had not been informed a child had covid. But surely he could have just been symptomless and still have it!

Is this how it works elsewhere? Does Track and Trace not advise to keep DC home if parents have it? Why don't they tell the schools if there's a child in a house with covid? Can we get tests without having to have symptoms now?

I am in a higher risk group (but haven't yet been called for a vaccine).

I'm desperate for the DC to get back to normality but I feel like I'm being asked to risk my life to facilitate this.

Jesus wept.

I can’t believe people still don’t understand this.

@MrsHamlet

So why doesn't track and trace inform the schools then? Why do they leave it to the parents? Probably because they assume people won't lie. The system is predicated on everyone doing the right thing. They don't.

So why does track and trace exist at all? Why not just say to the person who's infected "please tell everyone you've seen in the last 2 weeks" and leave it at that?

Someone, somewhere will have taken the decision that T&T should to inform contacts of the individual not the household. While we're talking of sending schools back while the pandemic is still in full swing, this is the wrong decision in my opinion.

Test and trace informs close contacts of the person testing positive. The school doesn’t fall under that definition.
Just like they wouldn’t phone the workplace of the husband of the person testing positive to inform them that they shouldn’t be attending work, for example.

I don't know why. Time? Money? Both?
I doubt it was really thought through at all.

@MrBullinaChinaShop

Test and trace informs close contacts of the person testing positive. The school doesn’t fall under that definition. Just like they wouldn’t phone the workplace of the husband of the person testing positive to inform them that they shouldn’t be attending work, for example.

Yes, I understand that's how it works. I'm saying I don't think that's how it should work.

I think Track and Trace should inform the school of children living in a house with someone with an active covid infection. Can you give me any reason why they shouldn't?

Do not underestimate the stupidity of parents. We had 3 siblings take a test each, the parents sent them in to school whilst waiting for their results. All 3 were positive. The chaos it caused as 3 year groups had to be scrutinised for close contacts etc.

I think Track and Trace should inform the school of children living in a house with someone with an active covid infection. Can you give me any reason why they shouldn't?

I didn’t say they shouldn’t . I said they don’t.
I don’t have an opinion on whether they should or shouldn’t really, as I haven’t done a benefit vs cost analysis on it.

I doubt it was really thought through at all

Yup this.

Despite SERCO Test and Trace costing the tax payer £22 Billion it's not keeping me or my DC safe. What did all that money get spent on?

For context building a lab on Mars costs £2.5 Billion.

T&T inform close contacts of cases, not contacts of contacts. There's no need to inform contacts of contacts - where would that end? Do you then inform contacts of contacts of contacts?

@dementedpixie

It's Test and Trace BTW

School will not be informed as it wasn't the child who tested positive. Its up to the parents to make sure the household isolates while waiting for a test result/on receipt of a positive test.

Oops yes sorry, you are right of course! It's Test and Trace.

Nothing to do Royal Mail!

I thought track and trace were there to inform people who wouldn't otherwise know they had been in contact with someone with Covid. The parent obviously knows their child has been in close contact with someone with Covid so they don't need track and trace to tell them. The school aren't supposed to be acting as the 'police' in barring the door. Parents are supposed to keep the whole family at home for the isolation period if someone has a positive test result.

Our school clearly communicated that and there was plenty of information publicised on TV, government websites etc. That person was obviously trying to talk their way around the rules.

Hopefully the regular mass testing of school children on return will reduce the opportunities for 'chancers' although relying on parents to test the children might enable abuses of the testing process.

@NeonK

T&T inform close contacts of cases, not contacts of contacts. There's no need to inform contacts of contacts - where would that end? Do you then inform contacts of contacts of contacts?

It's not about contacts of contacts. It's about dependents of people with covid who are living with them while they have an active infection. Totally different things.

It is not the job of Test and Trace to contact the school about a child that hasn't even tested positive. T&T deal with the actual positive case and will tell them that their household needs to stay at home.

It's not about contacts of contacts. It's about dependents of people with covid who are living with them while they have an active infection. Totally different things

Telling the school would be telling the contacts of a dependent.

'Test and Trace' not 'track and trace'.

You seem to want to blame the system, the school, anyone except the selfish fuckers who sent a child who should have been isolating into school.
(Unless by some chance the positive parent lived far away from the child and had not met up with them)

We had lots of this going on. Then the rounding up of kids and turning up to p5 to find half your class missing and oh, can you get work ready for all those who will be isolating for 2 weeks?

@MrBullinaChinaShop

It's not about contacts of contacts. It's about dependents of people with covid who are living with them while they have an active infection. Totally different things

Telling the school would be telling the contacts of a dependent.

It's about whether you act as if the individual is a covid risk or the whole household who are living with a person who has an active case of covid.

Once a person has isolated, they don't have ongoing contact with their "contacts", they do with their household, which is why the whole household are asked to isolate.

Can you give me any decent reason that Test and Trace shouldn't be informing schools? (Other than "them's the rules"?)

I have heard anecdotally of pupils being in school when others in the home have a positive Covid test result.

The system is reliant on people following the rules and doing the right thing but clearly people aren’t. Maybe T&T should contact the schools but they’re probably overwhelmed as it is.

Like PP’s I think it should be made a criminal offence or the LA’s given the power to permanently exclude pupils from school if the parents knowingly send them in whilst awaiting test results or have a positive test.

Because the child hasnt tested positive so it's not in their remit to inform on an individual that may or may not catch covid.

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown

You seem to want to blame the system, the school, anyone except the selfish fuckers who sent a child who should have been isolating into school. (Unless by some chance the positive parent lived far away from the child and had not met up with them)

I don't care about the selfish fuckers who sent a child to school, no, as there's fuck all I can do about them.

What I would like to happen is for when the DC go back, it be as safe as possible so people don't end up dead or with long covid due to factors that could have been mitigated. I can't stop people being dicks. But the school or the government could change the way the system works to mitigate the risks posed by them.

It's not about apportioning blame, it's about how we can make a difference.

And seeing as the government have spent an unbelievable £22billion on T&T I think we're entitled to expect - and ask for - a decent service from it.

We also had kids who got sent to isolate, had a test, tested negative then went out and about whilst isolating. But it was ok'cos I was negative, innit?' Yes, on that day- but what about the incubation period?

I used to work for test and trace the whole family should of isolated for 14 days the person with covid for 10 days. Unless the child tested positive no need for school to be contacted and no need other children in that class to isolate

Maybe T&T should contact the schools but they’re probably overwhelmed as it is.

With £22billion backing them, they really shouldn't be. It's an astronomical amount of money.

@Alfiemoon1

I used to work for test and trace the whole family should of isolated for 14 days the person with covid for 10 days. Unless the child tested positive no need for school to be contacted and no need other children in that class to isolate

What do you mean "no need for the school to be contacted?" That means you're relying on parents to keep the DC home and this thread shows lots of them aren't.

There are a finite number of schools in the country, it wouldn't be hard to set up a system to contact them. Much easier than tracking down random people.