Looks like the plans are now leaked.

[pinkhappy]

The Times seems to have leaked the plans now. I for one will be very happy if children's outdoor sport starts on March 8.

March 8:
Schools
Kids outdoor sport
Golf + Tennis

Early April:
🛍Non-essential retail
Outdoor pubs + restaurants

Mid April:
Gyms

May:
Cinemas + Theatre
Indoor pubs + restaurants

August:
Foreign holidays
Clubs

@BettyBoomerang

And why would we be having more lockdowns anyway? We have vaccines and the entire adult population will have been offered them by the end of July

How can people be this dense? Because unmitigated transmission (as happens in crowded, unventilated, un-socially distanced, unmasked schools) leads to a much increased risk of mutation and vaccine escape. This kind of fucking stupid move could easily mean that we all lock down again in a few months, waiting for them to tweak vaccines and then DO THE WHOLE VACCINATION PROGRAMME OVER AGAIN. Jesus.

This.

@KeepWashingThoseHands

Well clearly no one can go on foreign holidays since many of us now bear zero resemblance to our passport photos anyway. Between WFH + homeschool, I’ve aged about 10 years and my hair looks look like I’m attempting a 1980’s Tina Turner tribute act (and we don’t talk about lockdown weight).

I have a man bun, it looks so awful it almost looks good.

I’m also really pleased I renewed my sons passport so an entire 18 months of it is wasted, woo, go me.

The definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Teachers need to be more adaptable.

Or clone themselves so they can teach, clean and perform lateral flow test all at the same time.

Because there are not enough staff to cover all children back at once. Funnily enough schools are understaffed and underfunded.

SnarkyBag

God no hairdressers until may?! My teen sons will probably refuse to go to school looking like they do right now grin.”

Hair clippers are your friend. We used the dog’s

The rates went really high in November, two months after the September return to school. I am not saying it didn't have any effect but it's not the only factor.

I do hope they are stricter about letting parents bring children into school with symptoms and whilst waiting for test results. They need to really go down hard on the people who were doing this to help minimise infections.

We can't stay in lockdown forever, we can't keep going in and out of lockdown until 0 cases. We need to get back to some normality. We have the vaccine now. It's not possible to stay in limbo to try and protect such a small majority of people who die from this.

Lol at people saying "fourth lockdown incoming" and whatnot. Get a grip fgs

@YardleyX

Why are people saying back in lockdown by Sept?!?

Have they not noticed the vaccines?

At the very very best they won't be completed (first dose) until July. - three weeks until effective - thats AUGUST at best!

so months & months away.

We still have a 7 day average of 11,000 cases a DAY. Even if it drops at the current rate, it'll still be high by the time schools fully open (if they do) on the 8th.

Exponential growth & we are right back where we were except worse as the virus will mutate with high community transmission. If it mutates you escape the vaccine. We're tucked.

All fir the sake of a bit of patience and a SLOW lifting of the lid not a big fucking bang

@flamingomingeo

Cant seriously believe people are more arsed about their hair than collective children’s mental states. Thank fuck schools are going back, children finally need prioritisation. 1 in 3 adults are now vaccinated.

I absolutely agree that schools are the priority but I think hairdressers/salons should be considered before pubs and non essential shops as they are very low risk and I suspect have a negligible effect on the R rating but would help with the economy.

I have not RTFT. I wonder where driving tests will fit in? I've moved it from 9th March to end of May. I've already had in cancelled April, Nov and Jan. I moved it thinking 8th March if anything will only be schools. My theory runs out first week of July so I'm screwed if it doesn't go ahead!

@SimonJT

My 10 year old is going to go that route I think but not sure I’m going to be able to convince my 16 year old!

Yup. It would be much better if teacher bashers like you stayed off threads like this. And tbh fortunately none of the parents I know are like you, so that’s a relief.

You haven’t even referred to two of the poster’s points, because all you want to do is bash bash bash bash bash.

But hey, I’m sure you’d find the logistics of lateral flow testing 1000 people and getting the results back in an hour easy, so feel free to impart your hatred/expertise

Why would teachers be expected to be responsible for testing? My child has a keyworker place and it’s our responsibility to get her tested and email the school weekly .
I’m also expected to test myself twice a week and send in results to my manager .

No just a coincidence that the numbers went up like a rocket when schools went back.

No they didn't go up 'like a rocket' from September - look at the charts. They did start to rise from that time, but that was also at the time when we were going into winter, most people indoors, a time when germs spread much more easily anyway.

I'm not saying schools aren't a factor but it does always puzzle me when people say this?

I'm hopeful but very nervous about it. I hope the vaccinations will prevent any big increase in hospitalisations and deaths. Warmer weather will help eventually.

@beckypv

Why does a phase return to school matter? Having all kids in at the beginning, rather than spreading it out over 2 weeks surely won’t make that much difference. I think it’s quite clever having kids back for 3 weeks with no other changes. Then 2 weeks of slight relaxation whilst kids are off school. So actually it’s 5 weeks post March 8th when problems may be more likely to occur, but hopefully by then, it may be subdued more substantially by the vaccinations.

I like this idea

@2X4B523P

The definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Except it’s not the same thing. Nobody was vaccinated before. And before anyone says it, there’s good evidence now that the vaccines are positively affecting transmission.

Quite honestly the kids are not going to learn much in the first two weeks. They will be put in big holding ponds / two / three / four classes together to await testing.

If the staff are doing that then they won't be teaching.

@AllAroundTheWrekin

I'm not a teacher.

Teachers have not been shown how to do lateral flow tests.

Will they've got two weeks to be shown surely? My 16 year old niece has a bunch of them at home and tests herself twice a week for work. She doesn't seem to find it a big deal.

Exactly.

@Octane

Lol at people saying "fourth lockdown incoming" and whatnot. Get a grip fgs

Ok genius, how do you think this Big Bang Theory is going to pan out?

@ssd

November

4th lockdown

Yes precisely

Why would teachers be expected to be responsible for testing?

Apparently the first test will be done at school, followed by home tests thereafter. Unless it has changed again.

@2X4B523P

The definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Well, except its not even close to the same thing given that we are now moving forward apace with vaccination. Pretty sure we didn't have effective vaccines when lifting lockdowns previously - and we also didn't insist on quarantining arrivals from red list countries

@PinkFondantFancy another entirely unscientific anecdote from the SE
of no cases in my 3DC's school and no need to isolate.