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Original poster

For the sake of 8 weeks....

51 replies

Greentrees2021 · 19/09/2021 21:51

I'm just pondering how 8 weeks ago, DS and all his classmates were pulled out of school mid lesson due to notification of a positive PCR and had to go into 10 days isolation. They didn't get to say goodbye to their school or teachers or friends, they missed their infant leavers party, the last day at the school, the assembly they had all rehearsed, 2 girls had to cancel birthday parties and several had to delay or cancel summer holidays. There were a lot of tears and disappointments for children, parents and families.
Here we are 8 weeks later and quite a number of them have now caught Covid anyway this term and I'm sure it's only a matter of time for those who haven't.
I don't know, it just suddenly seems so pointless and kind of silly what we all went through to just delay catching covid by a few weeks. At the time I was trying to convince myself it was in the kids best interests but now I see it definitely wasn't. Does anyone else feel like this?

OP posts:
marieantoinehairnet · 19/09/2021 22:04

I absolutely do, we had a similar end to the school year/primary education. And what for, to delay the inevitable winter surge.

LilyPond2 · 19/09/2021 22:18

I despair at the government's failure to try to adopt any kind of balance in its Covid policy. Earlier this year: illegal to sit alone in a park. Now: fine to go out to a night club even if you're unvaccinated and the rest of your family have Covid provided you're not 18 and a half yet.

Comedycook · 19/09/2021 22:20

Absolutely

stormyweather274 · 19/09/2021 22:22

You have literally summed up what I've been feeling confused about!!

vickyc90 · 19/09/2021 22:22

Yeah we lost our summer holiday as his teacher got tested :( I'm still not over it have felt from the start kids haven't been considered in this. Seems it was all a waste of time when the vulnerable were vaccinated in January so nothing has actually changed for months only the rules.

CiderWithLizzie · 19/09/2021 22:35

I don’t agree. The delay was to allow more people to get double vaccinated in the wake of the arrival of delta. Hopefully that will help keep a cap on cases this year 🤞

changingstages · 19/09/2021 22:36

@vickyc90

Yeah we lost our summer holiday as his teacher got tested :( I'm still not over it have felt from the start kids haven't been considered in this. Seems it was all a waste of time when the vulnerable were vaccinated in January so nothing has actually changed for months only the rules.
You're having a laugh if you think the vulnerable were fully vaccinated in January.
Chessie678 · 19/09/2021 22:44

None of the "protection" measures were intended to benefit children. It was always highly likely that most children would be exposed to covid at some point in future - the only point in the policies so far as children were concerned was to space out cases for a possible benefit to society as a whole. I don't think the government was always entirely honest on this because if they had been I'm not sure people would have been so willing to go along with it.

I've never agreed with depriving children of so much for no benefit to them. I think it was deeply unethical. Children were knowingly harmed (often in a long-term and potentially irreversible way) for a perceived slight benefit to others and no benefit to themselves. I can't think of another context where the parents agree to their child being caused really serious harm for a possible benefit to others.

My DS's nursery still talks about keeping the children "safe" in the context of the few remaining policies about parents not going into the nursery etc.. It's nonsense. Most of them have had covid anyway. It's very likely that the others will get it at some point. None of them have been particularly ill with it (in fact most other illnesses circulating at the nursery are significantly worse than covid for young kids).

Wellbythebloodyhell · 19/09/2021 22:47

Yes sending home a full class every time 1 child was ill was complete overkill I'm glad they've stopped with that nonsense. Repeated isolations for a child is far more damaging than covid would be.

Dutchesss · 19/09/2021 23:46

We had an isolation when a child (Y3) came to school, sat down for the register and felt ill. The child was taken into isolation and sent home and tested positive shortly after. The class and teacher all had to isolate for 10 days because of being in the same classroom for FIVE minutes.

LilyPond2 · 20/09/2021 00:22

The class and teacher all had to isolate for 10 days because of being in the same classroom for FIVE minutes.
And yet if the same thing happened now, the positive child's siblings could carry on attending school until they developed symptoms.

UrbanRambler · 20/09/2021 00:33

It's frustrating, but during those 8 weeks the 18-30 year olds were vaccinated, so potentially it was probably wise to err on the side of caution, until all adults had some protection. It's sad that children missed out on so many things during the past 18 months, but the majority of them (health permitting) have many years ahead of them to catch up on their education and enjoy socialising. In a few years they probably won't remember much about what they missed out on, children are very resiliant.

SpringRainbow · 20/09/2021 04:57

If I look back I do wonder what the point of any of it was. It is starting to feel like we are just delaying the inevitable.

I am at a point where I just honestly have no idea what the answer is.

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 20/09/2021 05:15

Yeah we lost our summer holiday as his teacher got tested sad I'm still not over it have felt from the start kids haven't been considered in this. Seems it was all a waste of time when the vulnerable were vaccinated in January so nothing has actually changed for months only the rules.

@vickyc90 I sympathise that you lost your holiday but blaming the teacher for testing isn't fair.

lannistunut · 20/09/2021 05:23

Agree the government are unbalanced in their treatment of covid, swinging wildly from mo measures to strict measures.

They shouldn't be left to catch it now though, yet more failure.

CheeseTiger · 20/09/2021 06:08

Many teachers weren’t vaccinated until the summer holidays as the government refused to prioritise them. Colleague only had her second vaccine this month. Bubbles were our only protection while we had to work unvaccinated.

SoloISland · 20/09/2021 06:52

@UrbanRambler

It's frustrating, but during those 8 weeks the 18-30 year olds were vaccinated, so potentially it was probably wise to err on the side of caution, until all adults had some protection. It's sad that children missed out on so many things during the past 18 months, but the majority of them (health permitting) have many years ahead of them to catch up on their education and enjoy socialising. In a few years they probably won't remember much about what they missed out on, children are very resiliant.
Thank you for this balanced and sane post
Summersdreaming · 20/09/2021 07:46

@CheeseTiger

Many teachers weren’t vaccinated until the summer holidays as the government refused to prioritise them. Colleague only had her second vaccine this month. Bubbles were our only protection while we had to work unvaccinated.
Where do you live? I had mine in early May and I was 28.. so only 21-27 year old teachers would have been eligible after me? Are the majority of teachers in that age group? If so that will be a blessing as they are very unlikely to be really ill.
MarshaBradyo · 20/09/2021 07:47

Yes

MarshaBradyo · 20/09/2021 07:49

None of the "protection" measures were intended to benefit children.

But then this was always true so it’s not a surprise to see. We should have talked more about the ethics around it as we did re vaccines for children being for their benefit.

Chillychangchoo · 20/09/2021 08:00

It was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous and caused nothing but more hardship for working families who lost yet more jobs because they have to be at home for child care.

We can only hope this fiasco never returns again.

middleager · 20/09/2021 08:15

Yes. And, if they'd rolled out vaccinations in the summer to 12-15 year olds maybe asthmatic DS1 would not be in bed waiting on PCR results and DS2 facing Covid for the 2nd time in 10 months and both of them missing key education in year 11.

middleager · 20/09/2021 08:19

One also had seven isolations in year 10, one had four, due to self isolation rules, yet now this is removed.
Why is there no sensible inbetween? And why to God CEV families risk fines for keeping children off beggars belief.

Wizzbangfizz · 20/09/2021 08:28

Totally agree @Chillychangchoo - and it chills me to read on here how people want ludicrous restrictions and rule reinstated to "feel safe" which is a folly in itself and is totally unobtainable. Time to follow the Danes and move to endemic status.

Dghgcotcitc · 20/09/2021 15:47

My children will definitely remember the pandemic and remain impacted by it for years so I am surprised at the they will just direct comments. Mind you my grandmother remained impacted by the war for years I guess we are an unresliant family!…or perhaps down playing major events as people lacking resilient has always been tried but doesn’t reflect the lived reality for many.

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