Anti-lockdowners pretending to care about kids again

[noblegiraffe]

So it's all over the news about how nearly 400,000 kids are having to isolate because of covid cases in schools. Complaints about how disruptive to education it is and to the mental health of the children involved. This disruptive isolation must end as soon as possible.

Contrast to last November when nearly a million kids were self-isolating in a week. Do you remember the headlines, discussions and outrage about that?

No, of course you don't. Because back then, the solution to so many kids isolating was to put more mitigation measures in schools and attempt to stop so many kids catching it.

Now they can argue that it doesn't matter if all kids catch it, they're all over the 'terrible' isolation figures which are less than half of those last year.

I'm SO done with people only caring about kids and education when they think that they can use them for their own benefit.

If these loud voices could be used to talk about things like the cuts to pupil premium, the pitiful covid catch-up funding, the critical shortage of teachers, the unsafe state of schools, the massive waiting lists for CAMHS and SEN services, then maybe I'd believe them when they claim to care about children.

It makes you a hypocrite if you can turn a blind eye to 20k+ daily cases (many school children) and dismiss this fluid ever changing situation as being over.

Something tells me we are in for a nasty shock, our biggest mistake will be underestimating Delta if we naively believe we can simply ignore it.

Yet many of these children are off school with an illness that would be indistinguishable from hayfever if it wasn't for testing. And hundreds of thousands off because a classmate is mildly ill.

Yet many of these children are off school with an illness that would be indistinguishable from hayfever if it wasn't for testing

That could reveal it to be Covid.

And hundreds of thousands off because a classmate is mildly ill

With Covid, as I take this sentence. Mildly ill for the individual is not necessarily so for their contacts.

I’ve just googled astroturfing and it’s meaning in relation to debates. So if you disagree with noble you’re automatically assumed to be getting paid for it. Wow. So we can’t have a different opinion to noble now on mumsnet. Well that’s a bit narcissistic isn’t it?

Righto. Good to be in the know 👍.

And how many of those daily cases will even be slightly unwell?

My view has definitely changed bogof

@BogRollBOGOF the point is that the restriction is there, whether it’s right or not - or whether you agree to it or not.

The best thing to do is to follow guidelines until they are lifted, to help control the rate of infection and to help children stay in school.

@echt

Yet many of these children are off school with an illness that would be indistinguishable from hayfever if it wasn't for testing

That could reveal it to be Covid.

And hundreds of thousands off because a classmate is mildly ill

With Covid, as I take this sentence. Mildly ill for the individual is not necessarily so for their contacts.

But it most likely is, because most people around that child will be vaccinated.

Why are you so desperate for things to go wrong?

Too many threads before Christmas about the dire situation in schools?

Fucking hell some people are still blind. Despite the constant warnings that the situation in schools were chaos, that nearly a million kids were isolating and education was hugely disrupted, despite the fact that infection rates soared in schools to a level where they had to be closed from Jan to March because there was no way they could justify keeping them open, there are still posters who think that it was wrong to post and say ‘this is wrong, this is awful, we need more protections in school to stop it getting even worse’?

Schools closed nationally because those warnings were ignored. Is that a triumph for those who abused and harassed those who thought that more mitigation measures were needed? How can they possibly think it was the right approach in light of what happened?

And for those posters and campaign groups who abused and harassed posters and people for saying that education was in chaos due to rampant covid spread, for them now to be posting ‘oh, education is so disrupted, this is terrible, something must be done’, well don’t pretend you care now, because you didn’t care when things were far worse. They should be ashamed of their cynical use of kids as a cause only when it suits.

They should be ashamed of their cynical use of kids as a cause only when it suits.

So should you...

I don’t think it was wrong giraffe but I’m genuinely baffled as to what you want MNetters to do about it? And I promise I don’t mean that to sound contentious or arsey. I genuinely don’t know.

@Toesies sorry I didn’t mean the pandemic was over but the arguments about schools and safety. Once other restrictions are removed I don’t think we can keep inflicting restrictions on kids.

@secretllama

Just like others only pretend to care about the vulnerable when it comes to covid. 🤷‍♀️

💯

I don’t understand why people think it’s a choice?
Half way through a war people can’t say I’m bored of it, I’m not going to go in the air raid shelter I just have to learn to live with it.
The way people are just saying it’s the flu now live with it is bonkers

Well I am anti lockdown but have kids and definitely care about the disruption to kids education. Not sure why you think people don't really care about the kids? Strange thing to say

@WouldBeGood

There are also many paediatricians calling for an end to the isolations. Not Covid deniers, or conspiracy theorists, just doctors who are concerned. And teachers too. Saw on tv yesterday.

There have been many psychologists from the beginning of all of this who have been very clearly saying that we should not be doing this to children.

It is a continued disgrace. Just stop this isolation nonsense today. There really is no need.

"Because people think the time off from school is a greater risk to their child than covid"

This exactly

Not sure why you think people don't really care about the kids? Strange thing to say

The ones who only care about disruption to kids’ education now because they want to argue against isolations. The ones who didn’t give a shit about disruption to kids’ education before Christmas because they preferred to harass and abuse teachers and parents who raised it as a concern.

Those people.

@noblegiraffe

Not sure why you think people don't really care about the kids? Strange thing to say

The ones who only care about disruption to kids’ education now because they want to argue against isolations. The ones who didn’t give a shit about disruption to kids’ education before Christmas because they preferred to harass and abuse teachers and parents who raised it as a concern.

Those people.

Surely they always cared about the disruption to education? I always did. In fact that is what has annoyed me the most.

As someone else has said upthread, children and their education should be at the forefront of society. It's them we should be thinking of.

Who didn’t give a shit about disruption to kids’ education before Christmas?

@noblegiraffe

Too many threads before Christmas about the dire situation in schools?

Fucking hell some people are still blind. Despite the constant warnings that the situation in schools were chaos, that nearly a million kids were isolating and education was hugely disrupted, despite the fact that infection rates soared in schools to a level where they had to be closed from Jan to March because there was no way they could justify keeping them open, there are still posters who think that it was wrong to post and say ‘this is wrong, this is awful, we need more protections in school to stop it getting even worse’?

Schools closed nationally because those warnings were ignored. Is that a triumph for those who abused and harassed those who thought that more mitigation measures were needed? How can they possibly think it was the right approach in light of what happened?

And for those posters and campaign groups who abused and harassed posters and people for saying that education was in chaos due to rampant covid spread, for them now to be posting ‘oh, education is so disrupted, this is terrible, something must be done’, well don’t pretend you care now, because you didn’t care when things were far worse. They should be ashamed of their cynical use of kids as a cause only when it suits.

Schools were not and never were the main source of transmission and then deaths.

Hospitals and Care Homes. That is where most people picked up the virus and died.

Teachers who caught it generally caught it from other teachers. The children were never a high risk.

Surely they always cared about the disruption to education?

Nope, like I said, they abused and harassed posters who raised it as a concern.

@Getyourarseofffthequattro

They should be ashamed of their cynical use of kids as a cause only when it suits.

So should you...

In what way cynical and what do you mean by when it suits? Noble has been consistent in her message all along. Her OP castigates others, rightly, for changing their tune.

So posters abused and harassed posters who raised children isolating as a concern?

Isn’t that missing a bit of context though.

Schools were not and never were the main source of transmission and then deaths.

Even Boris couldn’t argue to keep them open in Jan, so plain was the risk to the rest of society from the level of infections in them, and the fact that kids were bringing it home. Most likely to be the index case in a household, much more likely to pass it to a family member. Saying that they weren’t the main source is irrelevant when they were enough of a source due to mismanagement by the government that they had to close.

@cornflowersandpoppies

So posters abused and harassed posters who raised children isolating as a concern?

Isn’t that missing a bit of context though.

No.

@Thewiseoneincognito again I’m not turning a blind eye to the number of cases. The level of deaths and hospitalisations at 20,000 cases is far far lower than the same point back in November. This is because the vaccines are working well (not for everyone, they can never be 100%).

The situation is different now. Acknowledging and understanding that doesn’t make you a hypocrite. It doesn’t mean you are ‘turning a blind eye’ it means you are listening to the science and understanding the data.

My views changed as the pandemic evolved and as government policy evolved and I’ll stand by that. I supported lockdown 1. I think it should have been earlier. But then I also think schools should have reopened before pubs and golf...

I think they shouldn’t have doggedly kept schools open in December. Closing week or so earlier could have made a difference then maybe kids could have gone back after Feb half term. Etc etc.

Right now I feel the balance has tipped and isolations need to end. I also feel it’s pointless being bitter and angry about what was going on in Nov/Dec. It’s done. Nobody is a hypocrite, they just want the disproportionate restrictions on children to stop now.