Schools not having to isolate when in contact of virus

[Baileysforchristmas]

There is hope this will stop after September.

www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jun/28/ministers-set-to-end-automatic-isolation-for-pupils-in-england

Humans spread covid; but education should be non negotiable. We have to live with this risk at some point. I'm not sure it gets better than it is right now...

In which case, why not prioritise education by investing in measures that reduce spread in schools? I can't believe more people aren't demanding this.

Do you check the flu deaths on a daily basis in a normal flu winter? Do you look out on social media for oncology nurses to tell us how dangerous cancer is? Do you track down stats on deaths from domestic violence?
Domestic violence deaths I did follow. Australia has Counting Dead Women that keeps a count of women killed each year. I don't know if there is similar here.

@siestalady masks until all staff fully vaccinated. Some attempt at ventilation. Keeping possible positive cases away from others. That's what I want. Some vague attempt to keep people well.
IF everyone is 3 weeks past 2nd vaccine in Sept then let's get back to normal. But we are not there yet. And people will die who don't need too. That statistic is someone's mum or dad or daughter or son. Wait a few month and that life could be saved

@pinkpip100 because schools are covid safe and children can't spread it. Boris said so.

I can’t wait to see the back of isolations. Once everyone has been offered the vaccine and is 2 weeks past the 2nd (ie by September) we should just got back to normal. I have lots of friends in healthcare and the only people ill with covid are the unvaccinated. The majority of positives in hospitals are incidental findings (eg admitting patients for non urgent surgery and screening at pre op check). Isolating is ruining children’s lives. My DC was isolating 2 weeks ago- we went out for a long rural walk every day. I am not keeping them inside the house any longer. I’m embaressed for parents putting their own worries before the needs of their children. We need to stop being so selfish before we go past the point that the younger generation will/can ever forgive us.

[quote mumsneedwine]@siestalady masks until all staff fully vaccinated. Some attempt at ventilation. Keeping possible positive cases away from others. That's what I want. Some vague attempt to keep people well.
IF everyone is 3 weeks past 2nd vaccine in Sept then let's get back to normal. But we are not there yet. And people will die who don't need too. That statistic is someone's mum or dad or daughter or son. Wait a few month and that life could be saved[/quote]
But this doesn't happen with other viruses does it? People do die of all sorts of things that would be preventable if we stayed in our houses for weeks on end/had blended learning/ploughed billions into schools so that pupils could stay 2m minimum apart all day- pneumonia, chicken pox, meningitis etc etc.

By September, there will be a miniscule number of staff who are not fully vaccinated.

At that point (I'd argue its now) the risk v measures are not proportionate.

We have to start accepting as a society that people are going to die from covid. Just like they do from all the other viruses above. Life has never been without risk.

@UpSlyDown but school staff were not prioritised for vaccines so most have only had one. IF they'd been done back in March then none of this would be needed. But teachers were told they were not at risk so to shut up and wait their turn. So we are now having to close bubbles to protect unvaccinated staff. Not because they didn't want one, but because they can only now get one. Was easy to avoid, but people fell for the schools are Covid safe rubbish.

Investment in better ventilation/air filtration systems/co2 monitors all help with decreasing the spread of covid in poorly ventilated places like schools and offices.
Why hasnt this been done already?

@siestalady can I ask what you do for a living and what risk you take every day ? Because if it's not your life at risk then it's v easy to make those statements.

@VaccineSticker 😂😂 no extra money has been spent to make schools safer. None. Zilch. Nadda. Because children can't transmit Covid (or so they told us). We have magic tape on the floor though that scares the virus off.

@mumsneedwine realistically the vast majority of teachers will have had their first vaccination by now (all adults can book). It’s 9-10 weeks until schools return (in England) so the vast majority will have had both. Older and more vulnerable staff members who have agreed to will definitely have been double vaccinated. The risk to teachers is minimal. We can’t use that as an excuse.

@siestalady

You’re absolutely spot on. Even if teachers had been prioritised for vaccinations we still would have had children isolating. The purpose is to reduce community spread not to save the teachers so to speak.

I worked as a TA during the winter peak and as a 32 year old with no underlying issues fully accepted the occupational hazard. No one was forcing me to work in that environment at the time.

Children absolutely need to be in school all of the time. Thankfully come September all teachers would have been vaccinated.

I’m a support worker myself and I can’t simply refuse care to a service user just because they have covid. Everyone needs to get on with it now.

And @mumsneedwine I get it I work in HE teaching face to face when numbers locally for covid were 700/100,000 for students. So I understand the risk and had to work through that so I sympathise.

[quote mumsneedwine]@UpSlyDown but school staff were not prioritised for vaccines so most have only had one. IF they'd been done back in March then none of this would be needed. But teachers were told they were not at risk so to shut up and wait their turn. So we are now having to close bubbles to protect unvaccinated staff. Not because they didn't want one, but because they can only now get one. Was easy to avoid, but people fell for the schools are Covid safe rubbish. [/quote]
Spot on.

@UpSlyDown we had to shut 2 year groups today as we've run out of staff. Again. 22 younger ones either positive or isolating. 22 cases amongst students.

Most staff have had 1 vaccine so are unprotected. Would you drive with one half of your seat belt ?
Yes there is always risk, but we know COVID is dangerous (& is not just flu - can't believe we are back to that again).

[quote mumsneedwine]@siestalady can I ask what you do for a living and what risk you take every day ? Because if it's not your life at risk then it's v easy to make those statements.[/quote]
Frankly, it's irrelevant what I do every day because everyone takes risks every day choosing to step out of their bed.

And anyway, of those daring people who do step out from under the duvet, 99.9% of people are not going to have their lives at "risk" even if they catch fricking covid. Particularly if they're cerebral enough to choose to have the vaccine.

@UpSlyDown and if in HE can I thank you for teaching f2f as I've not heard of any of that going on with my DDs and their friends. All on line 😞

@siestalady I don't think it's irrelevant what you do.

School staff have been told throughout to suck it up and get on with it by people who have no understanding what the risk of covid everyday and the constant threat of isolation does to your mental health.

@siestalady so you don't spend the day squashed into unventilated rooms with no masks with up to 180 different people every day ? Mmm.

Van tam said at a briefing that teachers had a lower rate of infection than the general population. He cited the statistics over the period March-December 2020. A time period when the schools were fully open…

Oh, wait.

Turns out schools are nicely safe. When there’s no fucker in them.

[quote mumsneedwine]@siestalady so you don't spend the day squashed into unventilated rooms with no masks with up to 180 different people every day ? Mmm. [/quote]
What's your solution then?

[quote yeahdarling]@siestalady I don't think it's irrelevant what you do.

School staff have been told throughout to suck it up and get on with it by people who have no understanding what the risk of covid everyday and the constant threat of isolation does to your mental health. [/quote]
How about the constant threat of isolation to our children's mental health? Or can you only have an opinion if you're a teacher?

Once again post-vaccine the risk of covid for under 60s is miniscule, its also not going anywhere. This is literally as good as its going to get.

Oh Christ here we go. Teachers and their poor me act. I’m sure they’ll cook up something to complain about in September about feeling “unsafe”. Having said that, all the teachers I’ve worked with in real life do have a get on with it attitude. It’s the Mumsnet ones that are never happy. If a teacher has only had one vaccine that means they’re either A) very young or B) really not CV, but quite possibly both.

Incredibly unlikely to get ill with covid.

I work with service users who because of their severe learning disability cannot wear masks. I provide personal care to them, and have done so with service users who have an active covid infection. Thankfully my colleagues in social care do just get on with it.

@siestalady I've already told you.

@siestalady I suggested a solution - investment in better ventilation, smaller class sizes, more outdoor learning, masks etc. Measures in schools to reduce transmission BEFORE getting rid of close contact isolation and letting Covid spread unchecked through all children.