Finally there’s some sensible news re school isolations

[solarlights]

Refreshing to see a headteacher and doctor on bbc breakfast saying we need to only isolate the dc with covid. Feeling encouraged.

That’s fine as long as ALL close contacts stop isolating. Not just school children. With cases rising as they are don’t think that’s a clever move.

There’s lots of things that aren’t a clever move at the moment. Namely 60,000 people going to a football match, many exempt from any quarantine requirements.

We can’t just leave it to the kids to isolate and keep cases down if it’s not happening elsewhere

By September self isolation for contacts should definitely end- the current situation is not sustainable or fair on children.

The school I'm at had quite a few cases for staff and pupils in October through to december. After the 3rd lockdown it went quiet from march return until early may.

Since then we've had lots of younger staff come down with COVID. The school has attempted to contact trace but the pattern has been 1 case followed by 2 or 3 a few days later then 5 or 6 in a single day. As a result entire year groups have been sent home. Cases in those year groups have stopped afterwards.

Some of the kids are visibly Ill this time and there's plenty of kids bring sent in with temperatures, fevers, coughs etc. All very well saying it is a disgrace kids being sent home but parents taking this attitude and sending Ill kids in are causing problems for the other kids and their families.

We can also say we should test kids everyday but despite cases spiking again most kids aren't wearing masks or testing regularly. You can't realistically trust all parents to test and self report and you can't insist on proof of test results so most likely the school would have to reactivate their testing stations. That's not likely to happen before sept.

Different rules may apply from sept but the isolations will continue this term I'd think.

@BlowDryRat

Good. It's stupid that an entire year group gets sent home for 10 days because of 1 case.

Erm it hasn't changed yet. Just saying.

Shouldn't those dc just all do pcr and teachers if there is a case some special fast track?
Positive si rest in?

The problem is that there is an incubation period with the virus. So a negative PCR doesn't necessarily mean they won't fall ill a couple of days later (from the original exposure, not a new one). But I still think the current system is failing our kids.

@everybodysang

so many disgusting attitudes. It's no wonder those with CEV kids are fucking terrified to send them back to school.

When people talk about how unfair the current situation is for 'children', no one even considers CV/CEV children and the implications of letting Covid run through schools unchecked. It's like they don't count as 'children' at all. I have honestly come to the conclusion that no one gives a s** about CV/CEV and their families. No solutions ever offered, most posts about them ignored (as I'm sure this will be).

What are schools doing about mocks of kids need to isolate?

A local school has closed as 300 pupils are now having to isolate. It’s ridiculous.

Anecdotally, how many children have develop symptoms or tested positive during isolation, after a mass sending home? I don't know of any?

Anecdotally I don't know of any. But the evidence is that it can take several days to develop (see image).

This is great news and about time

@Newgirls they are being delayed for the affected pupils at our school.

[quote FindingMeno]@Newgirls they are being delayed for the affected pupils at our school.[/quote]
Thanks x

I was wondering if they can just email them out if it’s just a few kids. I guess depends on numbers

In which case all close contact isolation should stop. It's no different children and adults. Close track and trace.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

In which case all close contact isolation should stop. It's no different children and adults. Close track and trace.

They are talking about this I think? Double jabbed people may not need to isolate after close contact. Not much use to a 3 yo who misses preschool for ten day stretches and can't even go to the park. They don't vaccinate them. Why? Because they don't get bad enough symptoms with covid to make it worth the risk (small though it is) of side effects from the vaccine. So for the 3yo the only benefit is not for them. It's fucking appalling the way we have treated small children throughout this.

Once all staff are double jabbed + 2 weeks AND it has been shown that the risk of vaccinated staff exposed to 30 infected children at once for 6+ hours a day becoming ill is low (they will of course CATCH Covid again, but we will need data on whether, given the high viral load, there is a significantly higher risk of more severe illness).

Then it will be possible. That is September at the earliest, later if case numbers run very high all summer, as obviously the risk of 'despite being vaccinated' infections is higher when case numbers amongst children are higher.

(I KNOW school staff are acceptable collateral to most, though)

All of my children have had to isolate. Dd 12 & dd8 during october half term and ds10 twice in 5 weeks in November.

Not one other child who isolated with them ended up with testing positive. Schools were very proud that their robust covid measures stopped the cross contamination from happening more like covid isnt as easily passed as people think in children.

I had covid and shared a bed with DH and still was around my kids as normal and none of them caught it! Was the xmas holidays so they were all home too.

This ridiculous isolating needs to end now, its absurd.

Many school staff are still waiting for their 2nd vaccine. Given all the issues we’ve had this year with parents sending children into school with Covid symptoms or whilst a member of their household has tested positive I do question whether parents will get their children tested as close contacts of a positive case or is this being abandoned too?

Agree with @cantkeepawayforever about viral load and other posters saying that isolation should go from wider society if it is going from schools since we know children do catch and spread the virus. I also feel for CEV children who are too young to have the vaccine. They are the ones who have been forgotten about in all this.

Yes, @cantkeepawayforever, most people have said September.

18yo + can book their jabs now. There is no reason for this to continue after September, unless something enormous changes.

And it's grossly unfair for children who don't seem to be getting serious symptoms of covid to be "collateral damage" when they don't even have the option of being vaccinated. That's the difference.

This needs to fucking happen from September. I am absolutely FURIOUS. Children NEED to be in school.

@Cookiecrisps

If isolations stop then there should be daily PCR tests to monitor all the close contacts for the 2 days instead but how many people will refuse to test their children?

What about if it’s the teacher or TA in a primary school with covid as there are no masks or social distancing so the whole class would be a close contact in that instance.

DS2 thinks his teacher has it because she wasn't at school on Monday. His class are self-isolating.