If they open up schools all at once, I'm done with every other precaution

[BettyBoomerang]

If the 'leak' is true and they are stupid enough to open up all schools to all kids at the same time (thus leading to uncontrolled transmission of variants and increased risk of vaccine escape, further lockdowns and a redo of the vaccination programme) then I'm done with any kind of compliance.

I'm not staying at home like a fucking stupid sitting duck, waiting for my kids to come home with Covid anymore. The kids can see their friends, have sleepovers and we'll go out and about and visit friends and relatives and do the maximum we can.

You can pile in and call me selfish or whatever - I genuinely don't care anymore. I'm not putting my life on hold just for the government to fuck the recovery up again. I'm the most compliant of pretty much everyone I know but this is it for me, and many others I suspect (most of whom are already doing way more than me). If it's safe for my kids to go to school, then everything is safe.

It’s better to be gradual imo
I know it’s hard though.

To move to next stage four tests have to be met.

I doubt the unhappy ones here will push it back by much as mostly just a bit of foot stamping. But we’ll have schools open and wait longer for other things if they are not met.

Don't be daft. Just because our government are reckless idiots doesn't mean you have to join them. We need to knuckle down so we don't create a third lockdown next winter.

If the kids all go back without stricter measures I'll be back to washing shopping and having every window open. I'll be going the other way to try and minimise the virus spreading.

@SansaSnark I agree with everything you've said here. If they don't follow sage we know what will happen eventually.

It's also true that schools opening will change people's behaviour - some will start socialising more for example.

Hopefully most people are intelligent enough to understand the implications of their behaviour and the need to make some sacrifices for schools being operated.

@PracticingPerson it says measures like testing.

All I'm saying is let's wait and see what the details are.

Sorry opened (not operated)

@Violetlavenders

It's also true that schools opening will change people's behaviour - some will start socialising more for example.

Hopefully most people are intelligent enough to understand the implications of their behaviour and the need to make some sacrifices for schools being operated.

Agree. Can only hope most people will do their best.

If they don't follow sage we know what will happen eventually.

SAGE have acknowledged wait for another 8 weeks isn’t good.

Whitty story was just speculation in papers from unknown source

People are leaping on media noise

I don’t think it’s safe but I think it’s necessary. Opening schools will increase infections but if that’s the only indoor thing you can do then it’ll be manageable.

If idiots throwing toys out of a pram start socialising with other parents (maybe reasonable) & then their families or friends who don’t have contact with that school, it spreads further.

Don’t be so stupid. I’d sacrifice anything to get my child back to school. Luckily I have nursery aged children who’ve both been attending all week through lockdown anyway. I’ve not broken any rules because ‘I may as well given my daughters are mixing with other kids’. I know how lucky I am that they’ve had continued nursery provision!

@SansaSnark

People saying that the increased transmission from schools opening will be "manageable" have way too much faith in Johnson.

SAGE think it won't be manageable. Chris Whitty thinks it won't be manageable. Johnson has been warned it will push the R rate back over 1. What OP does or doesn't do won't have a huge impact on the R rate compared to 1000 people mixing all day in thousands of buildings up and down the country.

It's also true that schools opening will change people's behaviour - some will start socialising more for example. I think it will make a huge difference to how people behave over Easter too.

People who have blind faith in the government scare me.

Yes I agree.

I have not heard any scientists saying a big bang opening is a good idea.

People must remember that most of the time between elections the people the PM cares most about are Tory MPs. The PM is under serious pressure from the back benches and needs to ensure the number of letters going to the 1922 committee is kept low.

@Quornflakegirl

Dh is in critical, non nhs worker, he has worked every day since last March in his vital role. No measures were put in place for him to keep safe, he deals with members of the public in difficult face to face situations everyday. He could have brought the virus home to us. Teachers on here complaining about being unsafe when thousands of other workers have been in exactly the same situation. Our dc need to continue their education, it's gone on too long now. I fully support a full return to school and I say that as a teacher myself.

This exactly. Imagine if other key workers and those who have had no choice but to carry on going into work in jobs where they cannot WFH decided to kick up a fuss and not go to work over the last 12 months. The country would literally have ground to a halt.

OP you are being selfish (as you know) and honestly, when people begin to do this at a large scale and ignore the other restrictions it detriments society as a whole. It drives transmission ( yes transmission will rise when schools go back, but this is accounted for .... all parents socialising and kids mixing outside of school bubbles for sleepovers is not accounted for!) and if transmission is seen to rise unexpectedly or unacceptably then the next lot of easing will not happen meaning we are all sat here for longer with no where to go and without the ability to legally see family and friends. It also risks school closures once more, risking the education of children once again.

How about you just try and follow the rules for the few more weeks they are asking of you? We've done almost a year of this shit and we're all pissed off, but why risk it all now when there is genuinely a way out of this in process currently with the vaccine rollout?

Remember too, that not all vulnerable people have been vaccinated. This won't happen until April and even then there are still people who are CV that cannot have the jab (e.g. CEV children, pregnant women... both of whom will obviously have close contacts with the school itself).

I don’t understand this at all. Of course the virus will spread with schools open. But it will spread a fuck ton more if everyone then ignore the rules, and goes out socialising, There is nothing wrong with prioritising children and their education.

What OP does or doesn't do won't have a huge impact on the R rate compared to 1000 people mixing all day in thousands of buildings up and down the country

This would be correct if it was just the op. But if it’s many others like her, then of course it will have a huge impact.

You're fairly limited on what you can do anyway if things don't reopen. I think some on here have a failure to grasp basic concepts. The hairdresser for example, well our children are in school, the risk is the same if she does my hair. No, she will have also been in contact with numerous people that the child has, this increases both the risk when the child is at school, and for the people the hairdresser sees.

Child sees x amount at school
Hairdresser sees y amount at work
Effectively this means as a household living in close quarters they have seen xy

Bluntness I agree with your overall sentiment

I’m hoping it’s just a few mn toy throwers and foot stampers at not getting own way

I really, really hope this doesn’t turn out to be a disaster.

Infection rates will obviously rise, that’s inevitable, I guess the Government are thinking that now the most vulnerable have been vaccinated then it’s a risk worth taking. Although infection rates will rise they are banking on the fact that the vaccines will prevent hospital admissions and deaths.

As had always been said, Covid isn’t going anywhere and life cannot be put on hold, especially children’s education.

Numbers are coming down, they’ve got another two weeks to come down even further before the children go back, and so I think it’s a chance the Government have to take.

It may be the right one or it may be the wrong one and there’s only one way to find out unfortunately, and I just hope there aren’t many people who turn out to be collateral damage.

What you seem to be saying is that because you yourself are at a higher risk of being infected, you will stop being careful about infecting other people. Does this make sense? Is it considerate?

There's plenty of data now suggesting that the risk of infection outdoors is really low and that's at outdoor gatherings - therefore the risk of infection outdoors when just passing somebody on a pavement for 0.2 seconds must be even tinier and one is probably in more danger of being hit by a car whilst considerately stepping out into the road, or slipping on mud whilst considerately stepping off the path 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also, I have learned on this thread, that children in schools don't get it or spread it anyway (somebody on this thread mentioned that there is absolutely loads of data). Therefore I can't be at higher risk of being infected.

Plus I have also learned on this thread, now that the top priority groups have been vaccinated, everybody else is just being a scaredy-cat if they're worried about catching COVID because their risk of dying is practically non-existent.

I will, however, promise not to have a haircut.

Schools aren't safe. As we will see in the next weeks. Closures will begin from the start.

Summer lockdown, anyone?

So in the period Sep-Dec my DD missed 4 weeks of education isolating, thanks to selfish parents with an attitude like the OP who allowed their teens to party and socialise because 'they are in school anyhow'. The out of school gatherings and sleepovers in homes facilitated by parents, including mixing with kids from other schools was the source for the few cases that did occur. So if we all want this to work we all have our part to play and sadly the attitude like the OPs is going to just ruin it for our kids who really need their education more than I need to have coffees with other mums.

Ah is this a tantrum thread from those who aren't getting their wish for schools to stay shut forever? So predictable. So selfish

It doesn’t matter if the op wants to go and get a haircut or have a coffee with a million friends. They’re not open yet!
I can’t wait till they are but I think that’s gonna be after Easter now.

This is the main reason i dont like school restrictions ending even though i think thdy should. A significant number of people think if its safe for schools to open its safe and stop taking other measures. Its so annoying.
It isnt safe for schools to open in terms of R rate. But schools arent for fun they are necessary. Its a cost benefit. Children need the education and the cost if that us reduced safety for everyone so presumably some extra vulerable people will die but as a society we believe education is essential.
So why throw away any other measures to keep infections low and make school openings work.

Schools aren't safe. As we will see in the next weeks. Closures will begin from the start. Summer lockdown, anyone?

Another lockdown won’t happen unless hospital admissions or deaths begin to dramatically rise again.

People getting infected but recovering fine at home isn’t a reason to close schools and lockdown the country again.