At what point do hundreds of children (who have tested negative) stop being kept away from school for ten days?

[dameofdilemma]

21st June?
September?
Never?

There's little point Boris banging on about ending wfh and everyone cracking on with helping the economy when whole year groups are still being sent home to isolate for ten days (regardless of how many negative PCR tests they have).

Not to mention how the schools are supposed to manage with younger teachers nowhere near vaccinated.

Back to normal? Are we fuck.

Once herd immunity is achieved would be sensible. Not long to go.

They won’t all be fully vaccinated in the next couple of months but surely teachers will be fully vaccinated before classes are back after the school holidays? I expect we’ll be moving on to boosters for the elderly and jabs for teens around September.

Though I wouldn’t hold out hope of ‘normal’ any time soon, just hopefully better than it has been. Heard immunity is going to be a lot more difficult with the Indian variant unfortunately.

This is a good question. We can’t carry on like this.

My children's secondary school are trialling close contacts still being able to go to school. They do a lateral flow each day, and also have a few PCR tests. Hopefully this will be extended because we can't carry on keeping children off school! My DD had to isolate for 3 separate periods of 2 weeks in the autumn - 6 weeks off school !!

Not now, obviously looking at the news.

And what about those who are vaccinated?

My DS is fully vaccinated now. He could travel to many places, go to many indoor venues.

But if someone he never even shares a classroom with gets a positive test, he will have to isolate at home for 10 days.

Obviously I understand the sensitivities of a 2-tier system, but his vaccination is benefitting others as well as himself, but he still has to undergo a pointless and unscientific isolation (the science suggests that viral load would be so low that although there is a theoretical risk of transmission, the reality is tiny in a non-household setting).

Btw, his school is back to whole-yeargroup isolations not just close contacts.

So his isolation could be for someone he never even passed in a corridor let alone shared a space with for over 10 mins.

The only time it will end is when they finally stop being obsessed with case numbers and allow a low level of the virus to circulate naturally around those who aren’t vulnerable just like every other coronavirus. Not only will it help further herd immunity without needing to consider vaccinating healthy children but most vulnerable people they might come into contact with have likely already been vaccinated.
Sadly, however, I can’t see it ever getting that sensible.

Just guessing here OP but I’d say probably once the pandemic is over and children aren’t at risk of spreading the virus without showing symptoms? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lost - I agree. Its not a popular view though.

When parents stop complying and start kicking up a fuss.

Just guessing here OP but I’d say probably once the pandemic is over and children aren’t at risk of spreading the virus without showing symptoms?

I'm not sure Covid will ever be at a zero rate of infection, even with the vaccination. I'd hope though that once every person at risk has had both jabs (if they haven't already) then hospital admissions and the risk of serious illness should logically be very low.

This does need to end soon its getting ridiculous now

Never? Who cares about missing weeks of school, months over winter

All that matters is no one gets sick

@Thewiseoneincognito

Just guessing here OP but I’d say probably once the pandemic is over and children aren’t at risk of spreading the virus without showing symptoms? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Children have always and Will always spread viruses (as do adults for that matter)

When Us4Them have their next meeting with prime minister and show him the next lot of material they hold over him?

I think once we have offered everyone their first jab(by the end of June hopefully). We will start to go back to only testing kids if they have symptoms. Then gradually by September only the child with a positive test will isolate.

@Lostinacloud

The only time it will end is when they finally stop being obsessed with case numbers and allow a low level of the virus to circulate naturally around those who aren’t vulnerable just like every other coronavirus. Not only will it help further herd immunity without needing to consider vaccinating healthy children but most vulnerable people they might come into contact with have likely already been vaccinated. Sadly, however, I can’t see it ever getting that sensible.

Exactly this

Then gradually by September only the child with a positive test will isolate

Let's hope so 🙏

10 days is because of the oncubation period which is a characteristic of the virus itself. Peak is 5/6 days, but range is 2-14, so we've already lopped a bit off the end.

Testing negative before the incubation period is up does not give any useful answer, because you could still be brewing it up.

Only if there is a dominant new variant with a shorter incubation period will it be safe to change the length of SI. There is no sign that any variants are moving that way

My school only sends the child with the positive result home now and close contacts stay in. They are tested daily and can stay in school as long as the tests are negative. I assume we will continue this way for some time.

My sons nursery has closed for another 10 days this week. Third time since Jan. He isn’t a close contact and doesn’t have to isolate but most of the staff are having to isolate so they are closing his class.
I am nhs clinical so lists have to be cancelled. I am now taking unpaid leave as nhs staff sickness policy gone back to normal pretty much. Utterly fed up. Can’t afford for this to keep happening.

'Number of cases' reported at 2 local schools (Midlands) and whole year groups are isolating in both cases.

I think the obvious answer is "When close contacts of positive cases do not have to isolate in any other section of society", surely?

Schools have very little real infection control compared with environments such as offices / theatres / cinemas / sports centres / public transport / universities - no masks, no distancing, no reduced numbers - and very few of the people within that environment will be vaccinated simply due to age. So if isolation is still required for close contacts of a positive case within any other environment, then it makes sense for the same to apply in schools. When the requirement is completely removed elsewhere, then it should obviously also be removed in schools.