Burst bubble

[DeathMetalMum]

Dd2 8 has had bubble burst three days back. We were lucky before Christmas that we didn't have this happen once. Also have dd1 in year 5, we are a mile away from school she cannot walk alone.

Schools advice is that dd2 isolate indoors for the full 10 days. My interpretation of this is she cannot go outside at all - even in our garden or sit in the car while I drive dd1 to school? Therefore it looks like we will have to keep dd1 off school for the full 10 days - we have two days in this time where we are off work on the same day but otherwise we also wouldn't be able to leave the house as we can't leave dd2 alone - dp doesn't drive so would have to walk (not that him driving would help as we wouldn't be able to afford two cars) walking takes 40 minutes in total.

I'd be quite happy to keep dd1 off however, school won't be offering home learning like they would for dd2. It will also be marked as an unauthorised absence (and potentially a fine I presume). We are both key workers generally we work around each other where possible and we are fine childcare wise, we will both have to take some leave. Just getting dd1 to school is a problem.

How have others managed in this situation?

Can friends or family help?

You are allowed in your garden.

Can you not drive DD1 to school while your DH waits at home?
DD2 is allowed in the garden.

I'd just take her in the car to drop DD1 off.

As long as she stays in the car she isn't going to come into contact with anyone.

She can stay in the car and go in your garden. She wouldn't have contact with anyone outside your household.

Local schools used to accept isolating child being in car and then dropping other child off as near school as possible. Used to task that you dropped off after everyone else.

Check with school

My plan was to drive dd1 and I could organise some help in the afternoon on the days I'm at work. Then drive with dd2 when dp is at work. However the letter from school states isolate indoors for 10 days.
I thought going in the garden was okay. But not according to this letter.

I think you need to use some common sense. If your garden is tiny and she will easily be in contact with neighbours etc maybe don't use the garden. If you need to walk down several roads past people to get to you car, don't take her in it. But if she can be in the garden without being within 2 metres of anyone else outside of your household then it's going to be fine. If she walks from your front door and gets straight into your car without coming into contact with anyone else then who is it going to put in danger?

@DeathMetalMum

My plan was to drive dd1 and I could organise some help in the afternoon on the days I'm at work. Then drive with dd2 when dp is at work. However the letter from school states isolate indoors for 10 days. I thought going in the garden was okay. But not according to this letter.

But that's not the official government advice. Not sure why the school would say that, clearly not using official advice.

My DC actually tested positive and were in the garden every day. Kids need fresh air!

Can’t you use your common sense?

Of cause she can go in the garden I think the school have just used a bad turn of phrase with isolate indoors! It’s inhumane to keep a child locked inside for 10 days. Also if she goes in your car and comes into contact with no one else what is the issue? I can’t believe adults take things so literally without the ability to risk assess and use common sense!

Of course you can go in the garden! Good grief, I went in the garden when I had covid. We all need some fresh air! I had it in mid December when it was about -1 so safe to say my next door neighbour wasn’t in theirs. But my kiddo desperately needed some time running around outside. I have a big enough garden & a 6ft fence to have kept far apart regardless! Kids have been through enough, please don’t make isolation worse than it has to be!

Our nursery sent out a emails back in September & November stating they had no problem with isolating siblings being in the car while younger siblings were dropped off, they just must not come to the door (which some had been doing). I agree there is no harm if they wait in the car.

Surely your dd1 is isolating through being a close contact? So they can't put it as an unauthorised absence. If they do, challenge it!

@MummaPI

Surely your dd1 is isolating through being a close contact? So they can't put it as an unauthorised absence. If they do, challenge it!

Not unless dd2 actually catches COVID (or has symptoms) - contacts of contacts don’t have to isolate.

@Level32

Why can't a year 5 child walk a mile alone? Any friends she can walk with? Even 2m behind/infront to fully satisfy the rules?

My God no please don't do this. Jesus

She is allowed in the garden and putting her in the car while you take the other daughter to school is reasonable.

This happened to us before Christmas and luckily me and another mum in the same position agreed on a rota between us to take the older unaffected child in. The school currently isn't keen on anyone going home with another parents but when challenged agreed it was probably the best idea.

Technically, I think you are correct (about the school run, not sure about the garden).

But I wouldn't keep a healthy child not required to isolate off school for 10 days with no online learning provision just to satisfy the letter of the law.

The whole thing is ridiculous. By the crime she has spent a night in your home (presumably) behaving as normal, your 8 year old is no more likely to develop symptoms or pass Covid on than you, your partner or your older daughter are. Household members of contacts aren't told to isolate because the country wouldn't cope, but I doubt they are less of a risk.

This would be my order of preference:

1. Ask a family member, friend or neighbour if they could walk your older daughter to school.
2. Ask a family member friend or neighbour if they could stand outside your house and keep an eye on your 8 year old for the time it would take you to drive your older daughter to school.
3. Take both girls in the car
4. Walk with both girls
5. Keep both girls off school

Time not crime!! Freudian typo.

I don't think it's ideal to take her out in the car but school is compulsory and it's not ideal for DD1 to miss out either so I think it's reasonable under the circumstances. The risk to anyone from her going in your private garden is extremely low or zero unless she's hanging over the fence giving your neighbour a hug.

Unless the route is really dangerous, I'm not sure why it's an issue for a Year 5 child to walk a mile to school. You could always ask another parent walking in the same direction to keep an eye out for extra reassurance.

they can go in the garden. Dd1 also got one of those letters today and hers says at home not inside.

Ah I read it as dd2 is positive...oops!

Put her in the car. Its common sense surely. We have half the country doing exactly what they like and ignoring everything, and the other half running round like scared mice in case they break some arbitrary rule.