Anyone else worried about kids getting sent home to isolate just before going on holiday?

[goingslightlyinsane]

As title says- my Daughter is in secondary school due to break up next week for summer. We have a UK break booked (rented a house) straight after school finishes.

I feel like it's really closing in on us here- lots of kids already being sent home to isolate, daily emails from school of new cases. It's just rife!

I'm just wondering if this happened to you would you still go? Or do as your told and miss out on a very much needed holiday.

Although this hasn't happened (fingers crossed it doesn't) it could happen. Given that the isolation rules are changing on 19th August I would be inclined to just fu*k it and go anyway, even though this is rule breaking. (And do daily LF tests)

I'm just interested what others would do if this happened to them? As it will happen to some.

We're due to go on a staycation cruise. Both dc's gave to rake a pcr 5 days before and full family have to take lft's before boarding with all adults giving proof of double vaccination plus a week before we're allowed on. Children are desperate to go and we're taking my 85 year old gran and mum, we've lost my grand dad recently. I'm pulling my dc so they have 14 days full off school before hand.

They are getting rid of bubbles from Monday aren't they? So if your holiday is not next week but the following, you should be ok.
DS1's school (secondary) sent everyone home on Monday to home educate for the rest of term (this week), citing rising numbers and putting people's holidays at risk.

My understanding is you only legally have to isolate if contacted personally by Test and Trace. Both the app and a letter from school are guidance only.

Just tale them out op, every one could do with a break.

There are people out there who have had double vaccines but effectively have no protection against covid.

Why would you stop testing? There are still vulnerable people.

I am astounded by the attitude of some.

Yes it’s a fucking annoyance. We are currently isolating - ds bubble burst and now dd has symptoms. Better safe than sorry because someone could end up with covid if we don’t check.

The chances are slim, but I’d rather not be a dick about it.

Exactly @Waxonwaxoff0. You can’t take your child out. So if everyone who COULD take their children out of school did so, yours would be 10x safer

My son's school have contacted all parents and offered remote learning until the end of term. School is still open, but if you'd rather you can home school for the next week and keep out of the way of the germ infested swap pits that schools have become.

[quote Frazzled2207]@0None0
I’d rather the government prioritise kids education by keeping healthy kids in school, than prioritise holidays![/quote]
But kids are not in school and education is not happening. My school has been closed town for the remainder of term by PHE.

And it is not a case prioritising holidays, it is a case of prioritising family life, and sharing a change is scene abs new experiences are an integral part of that

I’m not talking about international flights, or anything like that. A tent 20 miles down the road could tick th etc boxes

Definitely worth pulling kids out of school to safeguard family holidays. Absolutely 100%

@ILoveAnOwl

My son's school have contacted all parents and offered remote learning until the end of term. School is still open, but if you'd rather you can home school for the next week and keep out of the way of the germ infested swap pits that schools have become.

Fantastic to hear of the sensible approach find schools are taking. Genuinely putting child and staff welfare first

@Iknowtheanswer and @Watapalava

Ds's (teenagers) are both well and fine, but not going anywhere near lateral flow tests. If they tested positive, with no symptoms, they could end up ruining holidays for most of their best friends.

It makes my blood boil. By all means test on lft but keep your mouth shut. Families holidays and family trips to see relatives are being ruined because some kid hasn’t so much of a sniffle

Don’t you appreciate that whereas some may have the virus and be asymptomatic, others can catch it from them and fall seriously ill?

The point of testing isn’t to spoil holiday plans. It’s to stop the spread of the virus and reduce the likelihood of further restrictions come autumn and winter.

That said, vaccination rates are higher than they were last summer, your government has shown a spectacular lack of leadership at this stage of the pandemic (I’m not in the UK), and this 19 July stuff is astonishingly ill-advised. I get feeling fed up. But the solution isn’t to pretend Covid doesn’t exist. It’s to take sensible steps and do the right thing. IMHO, this means testing and if you’re testing positive tell people you’ve been in contact with so they can look out for themselves. Also, don’t bloody go on holiday and spread the virus.

@SuperCaliFragalistic

I think the number of people who have said they'll go on holiday anyway, despite being told to isolate, suggests that lots aren't responsible enough to take appropriate mitigating action.

I don't know the answers but I do think the government have lost control. Kids have been let down time and time again over this so I understand people are frustrated but we will be in another lockdown soon if we all just ignore the need to SI and refuse to take tests because we'd rather be on holiday. The possibility of new variants off the back of all this depresses me. I don't want my kids to be off school in September because a vaccine resistant variant is killing old people again.

I can't take my kids out of school for 10 days before our holiday as I have to go to work. A lot of SAHP on this thread I presume?

The thing is, people just don’t give a shit because: 1: many people are half expecting another lockdown anyway at some point. They feel it’s totally out of their control and it is. 2: The main source of new varients and spread isn’t 1000’s of well kids not isolating. It’s lack of border control and hospital spread. The public get blamed of course, but its always thus. Similar to global warming- Brenda from number 32 diligently recycling everything, whilst the bin men are behind with their collections so just Chuck everything in the same dustcart and China pumps out an enormous amount of pollution daily. 3: People are totally fed up and have every right to be. Most people are now living for the moment because you literally don’t know what your life will be like in 2 months time.

[quote BeenThruMoreThanALilBit]**@Iknowtheanswer* and @Watapalava*

Ds's (teenagers) are both well and fine, but not going anywhere near lateral flow tests. If they tested positive, with no symptoms, they could end up ruining holidays for most of their best friends.

It makes my blood boil. By all means test on lft but keep your mouth shut. Families holidays and family trips to see relatives are being ruined because some kid hasn’t so much of a sniffle

Don’t you appreciate that whereas some may have the virus and be asymptomatic, others can catch it from them and fall seriously ill?

The point of testing isn’t to spoil holiday plans. It’s to stop the spread of the virus and reduce the likelihood of further restrictions come autumn and winter.

That said, vaccination rates are higher than they were last summer, your government has shown a spectacular lack of leadership at this stage of the pandemic (I’m not in the UK), and this 19 July stuff is astonishingly ill-advised. I get feeling fed up. But the solution isn’t to pretend Covid doesn’t exist. It’s to take sensible steps and do the right thing. IMHO, this means testing and if you’re testing positive tell people you’ve been in contact with so they can look out for themselves. Also, don’t bloody go on holiday and spread the virus.[/quote]
If you haven’t lived in the UK with school aged children during the last 18 months, you really have no idea. Yes people will go on ‘bloody holiday’ and so they should

@OnTheBrink1

Covid has affected the whole world. I live in a city that was the world Covid hotspot for 3 months last year. I have lived through restrictions the likes of which the UK hasn’t experienced at any point during the pandemic. I haven’t been outside my city since January 2020. Your comment is embarrassingly insular.

I have two primary school aged children and live in a flat. We do have two quite large parks nearby, though.

@JaninaDuszejko

Too late for us. DD1 was sent home to isolate as a contact on Friday, much discussion about taking a LFT and travelling on the 18th anyway. Monday morning before school and DD2's LFT was positive (DD1 negative). All went to the drive through testing, DD2 and DH both positive, DD1 and me negative. DH and I both double vaccinated. We were suppose to be going to Scotland to see family next week and now can't. Haven't seen my family for 2 years .

I'm (almost) in the same boat as you JaninaDuszejko. We were due to travel to Scotland on Saturday to see family. I've not seen my mum since Oct 19. Kicking myself that I didn't keep our Y12 DD home this week. *

• We had been so lucky up until now she has not had to SI. One of her friends messaged the group chat yesterday evening to say he'd tested positive. She sat next to him in class on Monday (double lesson) and again yesterday during a study period and a couple of breaks.

She's bound to catch it isn't she?

@0None0

Exactly *@Waxonwaxoff0*. You can’t take your child out. So if everyone who COULD take their children out of school did so, yours would be 10x safer

So why are you suggesting schools should shut early then when some of us have to work?

Aren't the school holidays about 6 weeks, why is everyone booked in the first 2 weeks, this has been going on for ages, surely people would have thought of this when they booked, people could have booked for early/mid August.

@RedRiverShore

Aren't the school holidays about 6 weeks, why is everyone booked in the first 2 weeks, this has been going on for ages, surely people would have thought of this when they booked, people could have booked for early/mid August.

My holidays are set by my boss at work and it's always the first week of the summer holidays.

@RedRiverShore

Aren't the school holidays about 6 weeks, why is everyone booked in the first 2 weeks, this has been going on for ages, surely people would have thought of this when they booked, people could have booked for early/mid August.

Some people have no option when to go, it has to fit around other family members too

I'd booked for the first two weeks. I booked it a year ago (due to booking airmiles flights) and didn't foresee that the timing within the summer holidays would become relevant. (Although it's become irrelevant as BA cancelled my flights in any case).

For those whose kids break up early, the flights are cheaper/reward flights have better availability and it gets us back in time for other commitments. For example, my son has an annual county cricket tour he likes to go on. Surely those of us that booked holidays months ago for the first part of the holidays can't be judged for it?

My fear is not related to a holiday but my late term pregnancy. Currently nearing 36 weeks and have had both other babies around 37/38 weeks spontaneous labour. Am petrified of one of my DC's getting it and passing it on near the end of my pregnancy and not being able to have my partner with me during labour.(obviously with the added fear of anyone getting ill from it- including baby although I have had one jab).

Cases are rife in both of my children's schools and they are both just returning from self isolation due to contact with confirmed cases. In this circumstance would you pull them a week early?

Just go! The isolation is nonsense - no science behind it.

Hang on, didn't Gav say that whole bubbles didn't need to close, just that it gives an indication of close contact. Plus bubbles are going from Monday? I would go on holiday but lay off the Instagram. Children have suffered enough.

@quietlyspoken08

My fear is not related to a holiday but my late term pregnancy. Currently nearing 36 weeks and have had both other babies around 37/38 weeks spontaneous labour. Am petrified of one of my DC's getting it and passing it on near the end of my pregnancy and not being able to have my partner with me during labour.(obviously with the added fear of anyone getting ill from it- including baby although I have had one jab).

Cases are rife in both of my children's schools and they are both just returning from self isolation due to contact with confirmed cases. In this circumstance would you pull them a week early?

Yes, in your case I would.

What reasons are you all giving? I am pulling mine out today three days early… do I tell them the truth or not??

@Taswama

They are getting rid of bubbles from Monday aren't they? So if your holiday is not next week but the following, you should be ok. DS1's school (secondary) sent everyone home on Monday to home educate for the rest of term (this week), citing rising numbers and putting people's holidays at risk.

My understanding is you only legally have to isolate if contacted personally by Test and Trace. Both the app and a letter from school are guidance only.

The school letter comes under the authorised by the council section of the legislation and applies to parents so because I have had a letter from school I'm legally obliged to keep my daughter at home isolated or I'm the one who is fined. School letters have the same standing as a phone call from test and trace