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.

There’s CV teachers that haven’t been done.

So are you suggesting all teachers are vaxxed 3 weeks before return or just the CV?

A moot point now, tbf

Exactly! But allowing CV teachers to be vaccinated with at least one jab and then start 3 weeks later would be goodwill.

I reckon you could do many teachers by the end of the Easter holidays to be honest.

So it’s official! Big Bang/Green Light. Did make me laugh when he said that in May he’d allow people to go into other peoples houses as I watched my neighbours’ grandkids arrive and go indoors!

It's not a fucking green light, as you would know if you'd watched it/listened to the words or simply read most of the posts on your own thread. For once I thought it was well considered and extremely cautious.

FFS

@BettyBoomerang

So it’s official! Big Bang/Green Light. Did make me laugh when he said that in May he’d allow people to go into other peoples houses as I watched my neighbours’ grandkids arrive and go indoors!

And this is exactly what you've been telling us all you're planing on doing yourself!

@BettyBoomerang

So it’s official! Big Bang/Green Light. Did make me laugh when he said that in May he’d allow people to go into other peoples houses as I watched my neighbours’ grandkids arrive and go indoors!

So fill your boots, OP. There have people ignoring the rules throughout this. I've never thought "well if they can do it then so will I", because their behaviour doesn't stop the risk of me catching it / spreading it to people I spend time with inside a house.

BettyBoomerang why exactly did it “make you laugh”? Do you know your neighbours Exact circumstances? They could be in a bubble for support/ childcare. We are with my kids grandmother. Stop twitching at your net curtains and focus on your own life.

Oh my goodness OP and anyone else who thinks like this, I'm sorry, I know it's shit but please when schools go back that is not the time to relax everything else, it's more important than ever that we continue to be careful in everything else we do, the more mixing we do that isn't necessary, the more likely this thing will get out of control again and schools will close again and this shit will never ever end. One step at a time is sensible and is the right thing to do. Schools should rightly be the first thing to open again and they will be as safe as possible as long as everyone doesn't have this attitude that once schools open there's no point in sticking to the restrictions anymore. If anything there's even more reason to stick to the restrictions until its safe to relax more. This is the science. Please don't ignore it!

@Zandathepanda

Adventurecake what the OP is saying, and what most people who work in secondary schools understand, is that once schools are open for all, social distancing measures etc are all a bit futile. Here is a short list just based on what my vulnerable 16 year old has had to experience at her 1600 pupil school:

1. classes where pupils have symptoms and have tested but until they are ‘definitely’ positive have kept coming in because it’s only a hunch at this point.
2. sitting shoulder to shoulder with unmasked classmates in a windowless room. If a classmate tests positive it’s only if you are sitting right next to them that you got sent home.
3. pupils wearing 6 week old disintegrating masks that are stuffed in pockets for the corridors (for some reason corridors is where the virus lives?)
4. sitting in huddles on the floor to eat lunch as year groups are designated a ‘common space’ to eat lunch
5. few wearing masks on school buses
6. being told off by the teacher for refusing to do joint physical exercise - a routine holding hands with someone, unmasked of course.
7. an unmasked teacher leaning over her shoulder and going through her book on her lap, breathing on the side of her face. In context: he had just been teaching a class from a year group that were all being sent home as they had been overwhelmed by cases and they had been advised to isolate hundreds in that year.
8. unmasked pupils walking home, holding hands and kissing
9. pupils meeting round corners to smoke/deal drugs
10. loads of unmasked sixth formers crammed in cars (windows closed) driving each other home
11. unmasked parents standing by cars chatting to each other.

She guesstimated her bubble goes from 4 to thousands as soon as school opens up. We live in a semi rural area and the geographical area is huge. In one class she has a hospital consultant’s child on one side of her and a bus drivers child the other. The pupils worked out they live 20 miles apart.

We would like them to delay schools opening so that her teachers can get the vaccine and give it a few weeks to work. For her sake and theirs. Which is only a few more weeks.

A Level classes are particularly sensitive to teachers being ill as you can’t get supply teachers easily to cover work. It makes sense that the teachers are vaccinated at least 3 weeks before they go back for economic and educational reasons too.

If you can’t understand why other measures (parents sticking to the rules) are even more important when things are like this, then I hope someone else is doing your kids’ home education.

Transmission is not 100% - every interaction is an opportunity for spreading. So we lessen as many interactions as possible to enable our kids to have the socialisation and learning they deserve. It’s really not rocket science!!

I also have a 16 year old - her experience of school couldn’t be more different to what you’ve described above. Not a single bubble burst. Rather than insisting we all fuck off the rules because there is no point, maybe you should think more about tackling it on an individual level.

Please just hang on there, if we do this right then looks like we could be back to normal by June.

@DollyParton2

Yes I know my neighbours well and it’s (another, regular) social call. They’ve had the kids round regularly throughout. I don’t blame them.

Seeing people write things like "once schools are back social distancing is futile"... Don't youunderstand that if children and teachers are just mixing in school and nowhere else then the chances are really low that they'll catch covid. If we all start mixing here there and everywhere, not social distancing, outside of school then there is more chance of catching it and bringing it into school to then spread. What is difficult to understand about this?

of course they understand. They just dont care.

They're being petulant children with their fingers stuck in their ears going 'i can't hear you' because they've decided they dont give a shit about themselves, their kids, their families, or anyone else they might come into contact with.

#covidiots

Of course the biggest teaching union may encourage the use of Section 44 letters again. This, combined with shielding teachers, would impact on whether schools really can ‘open’ anyway. I’m glad the secondary school children must wear masks but KS2 children should too. Other than that, there seems to be no other mitigation than the situation in January.

Nothing on this thread has changed my mind (not even the insults, amazingly ) Nor has listening to every word of what Boris said.

Schools going back in a ‘Big Bang’ at this stage is where I draw the line on my own irrelevant sacrifices.

Bowing out now.

This is really really sad that you feel that way OP. I feel for the families of the children in your DCs class, I really hope my DC is not in a class with anyone who has parents who think like this. Utter selfishness and ignorance. I despair.

Also, @BettyBoomerang I’m a nurse. There is covid on my ward. Does that make me stupid for sticking to the rules and being extra careful? Should I also just think fuck it, I’m a “sitting duck” anyway, so may as well enjoy myself in the meantime?
If the world is filled with people like you, it’s no wonder we’re in such a mess.

I find it staggering the OP can read all that’s said about why it’s important, what opening schools mess, why we can’t just say “fuck it” and do wat we want, and still say she would do just that

I thought there may be misunderstanding, but no, it looks like either still doesn’t understand, or still doesn’t care

Mess=means

Humans are stubborn and rarely change their minds once made up. Even when presented with facts. This is especially true of the kind of people firm enough in their beliefs to rant about them on the internet.

Trying to change the mind of someone like this was always going to be an exercise in futility.

Utter selfishness and ignorance. I despair.

This.

@Adventurecake

Also, *@BettyBoomerang* I’m a nurse. There is covid on my ward. Does that make me stupid for sticking to the rules and being extra careful? Should I also just think fuck it, I’m a “sitting duck” anyway, so may as well enjoy myself in the meantime? If the world is filled with people like you, it’s no wonder we’re in such a mess.

Thank you for all you do @Adventurecake

@MoirasRoses

Why are you scared *@Inpersuitofhappiness* ? Understandably if vulnerable but I just cannot fathom this immense fear otherwise? I am 30 and low risk so I’m not worried. I don’t like being ill but I’ve had plenty of shitty illness in my life. Glandular Fever that floored me for nearly a year. A kidney infection that landed me in hospital for a month. Hyperemesis in pregnancy that had me vomiting 30-40 times a day. Two bouts of proper flu that had me in hospital, one being in January. So so poorly. It was hideous. I’m still recovering. And let’s not mention the few rounds of norovirus my DD’s have brought home from nursery over the last few years 😫

Meanwhile, covid made me feel like I had a bad cold.. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I just can’t worry. What will be will be. I’d rather not get ill but life happens. And don’t get me started on long covid. See above for how long it took me to recover from Glandular Fever. I’m 6 weeks post flu & feeling 50/50. Post viral illness is common. It gets better for the vast majority of people.

Isnt it funny how our bodies cope with things differently! I'm not saying that in a sarcastic tone by the way, I had glandular fever as a teen, which had a knock on effect of me ending up with Chronic fatigue syndrome. I've also had the flu -and it feels like just about everything else going! Were actually the same age, but I'm CEV. I did have the jab last week, however after a particularly nasty Chest infection (they're a 4times per winter thing for me usually!) That took 9 months for me to really shake. I'm worried about my breathing being any worse than it was at that time.

I hope you start to feel better soon

@manicinsomniac

I really don't think that's a sensible idea.

I think the govt know it's a risky strategy and will lead to increased transmission and that's the reason why almost nothing else is being opened up. They are choosing to sacrifice literally everyone and everything else to allow children the chance to go back. That suits me fine because I'm a teacher and I have children so I basically get the majority of my life back again. But if I were a childless work from homer or a SAHM with a toddler and a baby or a pub landlord or an actor etc I would be really frustrated and upset by the decisions. Obviously I think children and education are vitally important - but to the exclusion of everyone and everything else? Not sure.

But the increased transmission it will cause will only be at a manageable level if schools are the only change. If we all say 'fuck it' in addition to opening schools, that is when we really will be in trouble. I am not a numbers expert. But it looks to me like things are really positive and there is room for some relaxation. They've chosen to give all that relaxation to schools (so it seems - I don't actually think it will end up happening; I think unions or someone else will stop it)

Agree with this.

All through tier 1 then 2 then 3 - all we did was go to work (ppe and precautions, public facing key workers) and take the kids to school. My overarching priority was the kids getting an education. If dh and I had socialised it would have given us many more points of contact which might have led us to self isolating as a family. As it was, no school bubbles went down and neither did we. There is a selfish element to keeping ourselves safe and not being tracked and traced/isolated too.