So are schools safe like the PM always says? Or did those 100 cases catch covid at school?

CarrieAntoinette · 2021-05-06T17:40:11+00:00

Did those 100 covid cases at Wilsthorpe School in Derbyshire catch it at school? (In which case schools aren't "safe" are they? They're clearly not even "covid secure" are they?) Or is there a hidden reservoir of presumably asymptomatic covid in that local area? Or both? Might there be hidden covid in other areas? And does this have implications for the roadmap and the back to your workplace push?

AnatomyJane · 06/05/2021 18:41

At what point did you ever think schools were COVID safe or secure? Of course they aren’t. They never could be.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 18:43

@AnatomyJane

At what point did you ever think schools were COVID safe or secure? Of course they aren’t. They never could be.

Well the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary do keep saying it.

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Theimpossiblegirl · 06/05/2021 18:44

Schools were never safe. I'm amazed anyone fell for that one...

NailsNeedDoing · 06/05/2021 18:45

Schools are only safe from covid when no one in them has covid. If anyone does bring covid into schools, other people will catch it.

MummaPI · 06/05/2021 18:46

@NailsNeedDoing

Schools are only safe from covid when no one in them has covid. If anyone does bring covid into schools, other people will catch it.

Spot on

year5teacher · 06/05/2021 18:55

ONE school has had an outbreak like this in what - months?! And people start saying “schools aren’t safe! The roadmap might not work!” For fucks sake, schools are as safe as they’re going to get and for that one school there’s plenty that haven’t had a single case in months. My school is a similar size and we’ve had none since before Christmas. That doesn’t mean I look at my single situation and say “the roadmap will go ahead with no hitches!”

MapleBee · 06/05/2021 19:00

The Prime Minister and Education Sec have said that the buildings are safe, ie the walls and empty rooms. Before they're filled with people.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/05/2021 19:12

I live locally to the school. Great efforts are being made to stop the spread going further. Those who are most vulnerable to Covid have been vaccinated so hopefully this will be stamped out quickly.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:20

@Theimpossiblegirl

Schools were never safe. I'm amazed anyone fell for that one...

Well we should be able to believe what the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary say, shouldn't we?

One is responsible for the safety of all British citizens and the other for the safety of our children while at school.

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Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:22

@year5teacher

ONE school has had an outbreak like this in what - months?! And people start saying “schools aren’t safe! The roadmap might not work!” For fucks sake, schools are as safe as they’re going to get and for that one school there’s plenty that haven’t had a single case in months. My school is a similar size and we’ve had none since before Christmas. That doesn’t mean I look at my single situation and say “the roadmap will go ahead with no hitches!”

Is there anything that makes Wilsthoroe School unique, and unlike the other thousands of British schools then?

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Pleasedontputthatthere · 06/05/2021 19:22

As long as they stay open that’s fine with me.

murbblurb · 06/05/2021 19:23

nothing is totally safe. Schools were always a risk but we could not continue with the disruption to education (and to parents being able to work which is a big part of it)

It is fortunate that this outbreak makes news because it is (hopefully) one of very few. At least we can now test and contain, and have vaccines.

indoor drunks and flying back from places with much higher case rates than we now have are big risks. Sadly they are going to happen.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:24

@NailsNeedDoing

Schools are only safe from covid when no one in them has covid. If anyone does bring covid into schools, other people will catch it.

This is surely true for most indoor environments where people are in prolonged contact, such as offices.

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ASchuylerSister · 06/05/2021 19:24

Schools are safe. It’s the mixing of people inside them that’s the issue. Boris said so.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:26

@MapleBee

The Prime Minister and Education Sec have said that the buildings are safe, ie the walls and empty rooms. Before they're filled with people.

Well that sounds a bit disingenuous of them. Surely the government wouldn't risk the nation's children?

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Ylvamoon · 06/05/2021 19:26

NaNa Naa - not listening!

The road map stays & life carries on towards post covid-19...

(Get yourself vaccinated regularly like with flu or tetanus and you will be in a much better place physically & mentally.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:29

@Waxonwaxoff0

I live locally to the school. Great efforts are being made to stop the spread going further. Those who are most vulnerable to Covid have been vaccinated so hopefully this will be stamped out quickly.

I'm very glad to hear something is happening, but I don't share your optimism about there being no danger due to the vaccination programme.

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MadMadMadamMim · 06/05/2021 19:32

Well we should be able to believe what the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary say, shouldn't we?

You think you can believe the Education Secretary? Gavin Williamson?

He's an utterly incompetent, lying fool. Did you read anything at all about the exams fiasco last year? Or pay any attention to what was happening in schools?

I can't even be bothered to comment on believing Boris...

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:32

@ASchuylerSister

Schools are safe. It’s the mixing of people inside them that’s the issue. Boris said so.

Well if he kept the classrooms empty that would be fine I suppose. But he's filling them with 30+ people every day.

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Wellbythebloodyhell · 06/05/2021 19:39

I don't share your optimism about there being no danger due to the vaccination programme

I hope to god the vaccines provide just that because the vaccines are the only long term viable defence we have. Repeated isolations, bubble closures, school closures etc can not be long term solutions in our battle against this virus that is likely to be in circulation for a long time yet.

year5teacher · 06/05/2021 19:39

This could obviously happen in any school. But it hasn’t, especially since cases have started dropping, as far as I’m aware. So why would one outbreak like this suddenly mean there’s “implications” for the roadmap?
Also, you’ve been on other threads saying “of course it’s not the end of this” so forgive me if I think you’re probably biased...

year5teacher · 06/05/2021 19:40

Also, what’s your solution? Close schools?! Sorry, but that’s not viable and I say that as a teacher who has just been diagnosed with a condition that puts me in group 6 (not that I’ve had the vaccine yet).

tinytemper66 · 06/05/2021 19:42

Ha right!

FlattestWhite · 06/05/2021 19:43

Of course they're not safe or totally secure, and no-one has realistically ever thought they were - but they had to make a decision how to balance the needs for education against the amount of spread in schools. They chose to do it by opening schools. Sometimes there will be outbreaks as a result. I hope not in too many schools, and I hope it doesn't end up causing rates to go up too much in their nearby communities.

Original poster

CarrieAntoinette · 06/05/2021 19:45

@year5teacher

Also, what’s your solution? Close schools?! Sorry, but that’s not viable and I say that as a teacher who has just been diagnosed with a condition that puts me in group 6 (not that I’ve had the vaccine yet).

No. Implement some of the methods from round the world that actually do make schools safer in the time of covid.

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