This is absolute nonsense

[infinitemadness]

I have a son in Year 3 at Primary School. They are operating in year group bubbles but there are 2 classes in each year. This is the 4th time this year his year group 'bubble' has burst and we've really had enough now. 4th time this year of self-isolating for him. He plays for a football team but has had to miss so many training sessions and matches due to having to self-isolate. 4th time this year of not being able to socialise with any of his friends. 4th time this year I've had to take time off work. Each time it's been a child from the other class who's tested positive so chances are he's not even been anywhere near them anyway which is even more annoying. He's spent all afternoon crying. When does this end? It's ridiculous. I hate seeing him so upset and there's nothing I can do about it.

It ends when people stop complying with rules and guidelines that overstep common sense.

I'm so sorry your son is struggling. I know a lot of kids like him going through the same. It's pathetic. More and more parents are simply ignoring instructions for their children to isolate.

I feel the same. My child having to isolate currently despite negative lateral flows and PCR. I do believe the 10 day period isn't sustainable and has to stop with testing instead.

It's ridiculous....I wonder when we will be able to stop having to isolate? I think we've all accepted we now need to live with covid same as how we live with the flu. We have a vaccine, some people die every year but most are fine. We don't isolate if someone we have been in contact with has flu... surely we will need to adopt the same approach with covid?

Sorry to hear about your ds....I've been incredibly lucky and my DC haven't had to isolate but I can only imagine their disappoint at missing events and sports etc.

But you can't ignore the isolation in regards to him being actually at school.

Yes our football team has missed loads of training and games, our kids have been sent home bubbles bursting.

We would love to plan book something but what is the point when you might have to isolate anyway.

You're not alone.

I'm cross about double standards - DS had to SI because a teammate tested positive, but footballers seem to be immune.

Would his football team allow him to train if he had a negative lateral flow test? I know this isn't current guidance, but the current guidance can't continue with bubbles closing left, right and centre.
Back in December, when testing if secondary school kids was first mentioned, they said this would be the end of close contact isolations in school as the children would test every day and, as long as the tests were negative, they could continue to go to school. Obviously the covid positive child would have to isolate regardless-though this practice must surely end soon too.
I feel so sorry for your poor child. It's relentless.
See what his coach says.

It’s ridiculous, time to stop now. Poor kids

That was an unlucky juxtaposition of posts - I meant professional footballers seeing to be immune to the rules, not grassroots!

I have written to my MP about our very similar situation - healthy children cannot keep having their lives affected like this. It is unfair and unsustainable.

@frozendaisy

But you can't ignore the isolation in regards to him being actually at school.

Yes our football team has missed loads of training and games, our kids have been sent home bubbles bursting.

We would love to plan book something but what is the point when you might have to isolate anyway.

You're not alone.

@frozendaisy

Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean in the first part of your post? I'm not ignoring it, but how long can we go on like this?

He's fine, the kid who has it is fine, everyone is bloody fine. I'm so fed up. I know we have to protect the vulnerable but at what cost? I worry his mental health is really suffering.

I think they should move to a system whereby instead of isolating, close contacts do a lateral flow test everyday instead

@infinitemadness

I think @frozendaisy was maybe responding to me.

Yes, you can't ignore the school as the staff will be off too. But there are plenty of parents who are carrying on with the rest of their lives regardless during that ten day period. I suppose it depends if the club is linked to the school. I know so many parents who have given up on it entirely. And I see why- it's a total farce.

Also, not every school does it this way. Many have seating plans and only send home genuinely close contacts. Which means minimal children off and far less disruption.

I think it's ludicrous. Heard on the news that over 80% of adults have now had 1 jab, around 50-60% are double jabbed (cannot vouch for complete accuracy, but I think this is what I heard).

How much vaccine coverage is needed for herd immunity?

Time we dealt with the fact that CV19 isn't going anywhere.

@duckme

Would his football team allow him to train if he had a negative lateral flow test? I know this isn't current guidance, but the current guidance can't continue with bubbles closing left, right and centre. Back in December, when testing if secondary school kids was first mentioned, they said this would be the end of close contact isolations in school as the children would test every day and, as long as the tests were negative, they could continue to go to school. Obviously the covid positive child would have to isolate regardless-though this practice must surely end soon too. I feel so sorry for your poor child. It's relentless. See what his coach says.

I don't see why all kids can't just test and the negative ones return to normal life. I'll speak to his coach. To be honest, I'm close to just ignoring the rules anyway I'm that fed up of it all now.

@devildeepbluesea

I think it's ludicrous. Heard on the news that over 80% of adults have now had 1 jab, around 50-60% are double jabbed (cannot vouch for complete accuracy, but I think this is what I heard).

How much vaccine coverage is needed for herd immunity?

Time we dealt with the fact that CV19 isn't going anywhere.

We seem hell bent as a country on holding on the the drama of this past year for as long as possible.

If footballers can ignore the rules so can school children, I would take him to football and just test every day,

@Baileysforchristmas

If footballers can ignore the rules so can school children, I would take him to football and just test every day,

I think I'm going to. Can't keep going like this.

OP
I'm really sorry to hear this

Is the school giving all the names to T&T, are you getting the 5x a day calls?

This is really tough and so unfair on children.

I made this point on another thread but the self-isolation rules result in children's own physical and mental health and education being damaged in order to potentially reduce the risk to others. I don't think that is morally right - in other contexts we don't intentionally damage the health of one person without their consent in order to protect someone else. This is a specific example of a child doing significantly less sport due to being required to isolate repeatedly. Hopefully your son will be fine in the long term but for many children there will be a long term health impact from this and even quite a small percentage of all the children who have had to isolate is a big number.

3 isolations a year is equivalent to one month at home without outdoor exercise (and in some cases without indoor exercise either). That is a huge amount of time in the context of a child's life. It also gives the message that it is "safe" and sensible to spend long periods not leaving the house and that must have a long term impact on children's attitude to the importance of exercise, education, social life etc. Even prisoners have access to exercise and outdoor space in most cases. I think we have become desensitized to how extreme and damaging a requirement to stay at home for ten days repeatedly is.

It looks like adults may soon be able to get out of self-isolation if double jabbed and testing everyday so we may soon have a situation where the only ones required to self-isolate are children.

I'm worried that if they do relax the rules for children they will require daily testing. I have a 1 year old and there is no way I would test him daily given the trauma of doing it once so that potentially leaves him stuck at home over and over again for an illness which he is at no personal risk from and has already had with no ill effects (which will be the death knell of my career as well).

It's something I am going to write to my MP about. I think it's the sort of specific issue which might get a response if enough people raise it but we shall see.

@Ostara212

OP I'm really sorry to hear this

Is the school giving all the names to T&T, are you getting the 5x a day calls?

No we haven't heard from test and trace at all so I don't think school are giving details to them?

Totally agree OP, the whole thing is an absolute farce now and I am utterly fed up of our children suffering the consequences.

@Chessie678 - great post 👏🏼 You have eloquently verbalised exactly how I feel

@Chessie678

This is really tough and so unfair on children.

I made this point on another thread but the self-isolation rules result in children's own physical and mental health and education being damaged in order to potentially reduce the risk to others. I don't think that is morally right - in other contexts we don't intentionally damage the health of one person without their consent in order to protect someone else. This is a specific example of a child doing significantly less sport due to being required to isolate repeatedly. Hopefully your son will be fine in the long term but for many children there will be a long term health impact from this and even quite a small percentage of all the children who have had to isolate is a big number.

3 isolations a year is equivalent to one month at home without outdoor exercise (and in some cases without indoor exercise either). That is a huge amount of time in the context of a child's life. It also gives the message that it is "safe" and sensible to spend long periods not leaving the house and that must have a long term impact on children's attitude to the importance of exercise, education, social life etc. Even prisoners have access to exercise and outdoor space in most cases. I think we have become desensitized to how extreme and damaging a requirement to stay at home for ten days repeatedly is.

It looks like adults may soon be able to get out of self-isolation if double jabbed and testing everyday so we may soon have a situation where the only ones required to self-isolate are children.

I'm worried that if they do relax the rules for children they will require daily testing. I have a 1 year old and there is no way I would test him daily given the trauma of doing it once so that potentially leaves him stuck at home over and over again for an illness which he is at no personal risk from and has already had with no ill effects (which will be the death knell of my career as well).

It's something I am going to write to my MP about. I think it's the sort of specific issue which might get a response if enough people raise it but we shall see.

Luckily we have a large green space at the back of our house so my DS spends hours out there practicing his football although it's not quite the same. I'm sure he's probably not even supposed to be out there but I don't care anymore to be honest.

Completely agree with what you say, why are we putting kids through this still and to protect who?

Yep I have my own thread because we are another family who have to self isolate because someone in my sons class has tested positive, so home for 10 days, each time we’ve had to isolate none of us have developed any symptoms at all.

My DS (12) is currently self-isolating even though his PCR test was negative, apparently it's because of the delta variant. He and a bunch of his friends are missing on their first field trip today and he is gutted. One of his friends actually had covid in half term, came back to school for one day, had to self-isolate all over again the day after as a close contact.

I've been supportive of the rules before now but this is just insane.