Bubbles closed at Primary School

[fairyannie]

I've had to collect my granddaughter this morning as yrR, Yr1, yr5, yr6 have closed as someone tested positive.

What are the time scales here? Had the notification at 10.30am today to pick her up (my daughter at work).

Would this person have been infectious at the back end of last week?

I saw my granddaughter on Saturday (childminding) and went to visit my mum (who has carers) yesterday. Obviously I am concerned that I have unintentionally taken the virus to quite a wide range of vulnerable people as the carers were there when I saw my mum.

Plus - someone was saying that parents do not have to isolate - only the child. Is this correct? That doesn't make sense.

Does one parent have to stay home with the child? This would involve having time off work. Is the usual childminding arrangement not allowed?

Do I have to isolate as I have picked her up from school? Do I have to inform others I have been in contact with over the weekend?

Someone at the school gates was saying that their yr5 child was playing with their friend (yr5) who has a brother in y3. Why isn't y3 closed? Where do you draw the line?

No wonder there's a massive upsurge in cases - the advice to isolate doesn't make sense.

It doesn't, no.

You don't have to do anything. Your granddaughter needs to isolate until the end of the time period the school have given you, or will give you.

You'll get told on which day she was a close contact, so you'll know who that affects.

Officially the child goes home and stays there until the end of the isolation period, and no one goes into the house who isn't part of the child's family/lives in the home. Although everyone else in the household can carry on about their lives until/unless someone tests positive as well. Presumably if you are childcare normally, you could do childcare there. Might not be legal, but I expect people are doing what they need to do.

My daughter was a close contact last Thursday, she went to her grandparents' that evening (unknown to us), until Saturday. We collected her on Saturday when we found out about the isolation. We've been given the date she is 'free' from the slammer.

Neither her grandparents or us have to isolate. We are not close contacts unless she tests positive. We've been told by the school (it's a concise letter), to do a PCR 'as soon as possible' using the home testing option.

I do LFTs for my work, I took a box to my parents on Saturday just so they can do them too.

You have to isolate for ten full days from the last known point of contact, I believe. School should tell you/the mum.

Only the child needs to isolate, unless they develop symptoms. Whilst awaiting test results and if they get a positive test, their household and any close contacts need to self-isolate too. Only close contacts need to isolate - people who have been in close contact in the two days (three days?) prior to that person testing positive.

Close contact usually determined if they have been in contact with someone within 48 hours of them testing positive or when they developed symptoms whichever is the sooner.

But it doesn't make sense?

Am I being incredibly thick?

I can't look after her in my house but I can look after her at her house ?

But I still return to my house?

It was obviously from contact at the back end of last week - but we didn't know until today.

And I visited a vulnerable person on Sunday.

What a palaver - still confused.

My ds has been sent home this morning from contact on friday too

If we had to isolate contacts of contacts, it would be even more of a nightmare than it is. If a child is old enough you can try and limit their contact in the household, not lock them in their bedroom but try and limit face to face contact, keep windows open, not sharing utensils, towels etc. Wiping down contact points, hand washing etc.

Some areas are asking you to do PCR tests for the contacts too, but that tends to be in hotspot areas, still need to isolate even if test is negative.

Only the direct contact has to isolate not contacts if the contacts so what you've been told, and the year group closures are correct. Not saying any of it makes sense but it is what it is. Timelines vary depending when symptoms were noticed, when tests were taken in relation to that, how long results took to return and how long track and trace took to get their act together and contact people (my granny was contacts after 10 days - the full isolation period)

@OliveTree75

My ds has been sent home this morning from contact on friday too

Wonder if it's same school 🤔

people (my granny was contacts after 10 days - the full isolation period)*
*
No wonder it's spreading 😳

We have someone close who's going to Wembley tomorrow for the England game 🤔

If it doesn't make sense it can't be right.

So officially you shouldn’t be going to look after your GD it should be members of her household but you’re right it doesn’t make sense. People need childcare and from my experience are making the best decisions they can based on their circumstances.

Schools should be quicker then test and trace, as long as the person has notified them as soon as they have their positive test result, they have systems they need to put in process immediately.

School bubbles are bursting all over the place at the moment @fairyannie

@Daisy829

So officially you shouldn’t be going to look after your GD it should be members of her household but you’re right it doesn’t make sense. People need childcare and from my experience are making the best decisions they can based on their circumstances.

Ah

So one of them will have to have time off again. 😣

My daughter has just returned to work after maternity leave.

I took granddaughter to school this morning so I nipped back to pick her up after the school sent the text.

I'll let her know. 😬

@ineedaholidaynow

School bubbles are bursting all over the place at the moment *@fairyannie*

Ah - I wasn't aware.

Last time granddaughter's bubble burst was October half term last year.

This led to my daughter having her baby 8 weeks early as she contracted covid at that time.

You are right, it doesn't make sense when you look at a single situation like this.

If the aim was to absolutely STOP the virus spread, then yes, you'd have to unravel all those chains of contact. But you're also right to say "where do you stop?".

The government and their advisors have decided "where to stop" with the aim of REDUCING the spread of the virus while keeping the economy going. They have modelled that the risk of your granddaughters household contacts contracting it are less than your granddaughters chance of contracting it, and so are allowing them to circulate in society. It foolproof, but will reduce the spread to, hopefully, manageable levels.

So one of them will have to have time off again.

No - if you're available for childcare, and you're happy with the risk, then do it. Both me and my child's dad are 'key workers' or whatever - we work outside of the home at the moment. I'm a teacher. I'm home today because it's a non contact planned bit of time for me, but I'm back in tomorrow. Partner taking some leave and doing some working from home over the next three days, then if she has a negative test result at that point, she's going to her grandparents again. My head has told me I can be off, but that then has an impact on 30 other kids. Ah no, 26 other kids.. 4 are already isolating.

@fairyannie

But it doesn't make sense?

Am I being incredibly thick?

I can't look after her in my house but I can look after her at her house ?

But I still return to my house?

You can’t look after her. You shouldn’t have really collected her but that is done now. She needs to stay at home. Everyone else in the house can go about their lives as your granddaughter has not tested positive. If everyone who was a close contact of a contact of a contact isolated- we would all be in lockdown again.

Oh - so I can look after her.

That would be best - possibly.

Just wish I'd known before I visited my mum - doctor said he's no idea what her immune response would be to the vaccine.

The bubble system is quite pointless now. Constant children sent home to isolate yet for many watching sport and everyday life continues. The close contact isolate rules must be stopped. Test and if negative should be back to school especially with people that have already had it.

I don't think you're supposed to look after her because it'll just increase the spread if she does end up positive. Saying that, I know a lot of people are using family for childcare when isolating.

"You can’t look after her. You shouldn’t have really collected her but that is done now. She needs to stay at home. Everyone else in the house can go about their lives as your granddaughter has not tested positive.
If everyone who was a close contact of a contact of a contact isolated- we would all be in lockdown again."

Advice seems to be contradictory. No wonder no one knows the correct procedure.

I was looking after her this morning when I took her to school - so I've already been in contact with her (and my vulnerable mum yesterday).

Everyone in the house cannot go about their lives as she cannot isolate on her own - she is 4 years old. Someone will have to look after her (and her two younger brothers).

If the notification was today, then the test was done over the weekend - the infected person probably wasn't showing symptoms when they were in school last week or they shouldn't have been in. So if you assume they were maybe mildly infectious on Friday but not yet showing symptoms, or were asymptomatic which is also probably less infectious, they'd have to have passed it on to your granddaughter, and she then developed covid and got infectious enough to pass it on to you, and you then developed covid and got infectious enough to pass it on to your mum all by Saturday. Not likely unless the incubation period has magically become almost instant!

@AliceLivesHere

The bubble system is quite pointless now. Constant children sent home to isolate yet for many watching sport and everyday life continues. The close contact isolate rules must be stopped. Test and if negative should be back to school especially with people that have already had it.

I agree.

Completely pointless - as it is not a logical process.

Far too many bubbles are 'crossing'. Parents are working and socialising.

The web of contacts spreads far to widely to contain.

Contradictory advice on here shows guidance/rules aren't being followed. How can parents of primary school children work if they have to stay home every time a bubble bursts?

How do childminders/after school clubs work when siblings' bubbles burst?

There are children sent home today from that school who have siblings in the remaining year groups still attending school? How does that work?

Nonsense. 🤨

@givemushypeasachance

If the notification was today, then the test was done over the weekend - the infected person probably wasn't showing symptoms when they were in school last week or they shouldn't have been in. So if you assume they were maybe mildly infectious on Friday but not yet showing symptoms, or were asymptomatic which is also probably less infectious, they'd have to have passed it on to your granddaughter, and she then developed covid and got infectious enough to pass it on to you, and you then developed covid and got infectious enough to pass it on to your mum all by Saturday. Not likely unless the incubation period has magically become almost instant!

All 'ifs and buts'.

We don't know when the child contracted covid. And if asymptotic - another complicating factor.

The child could've been in school all week passing around their viral load.

My own granddaughter, her mother and those she lives with, myself and those I live with all had COVID October/November last year. (Resulting in a poorly premature baby.)

Just concerned for my mother who is vulnerable and has carers who can pass the virus to others. My mother's doctor can't say if she will have had the same immune response as a younger person.

Also concerned about carrying/passing on the virus as I go about my daily routine.