COVID infected child coming into school

[Dancerinthedark01]

Sorry - rubbish title

But DD11 just came home and says BoyA came into school this morning saying his whole family has COVID. He was late in because he’d just been tested. He then sat there sniffing and squinting his eyes. DD’s description.

Then half an hour later he was taken out of school because test came back as positive.

Is this normal practice now?

aren’t going for tests because they know it’s just a cold.

yes - that's the news one. I've been guilty of it myself though.

We are in SW and told any kid with a positive LFT must isolate for 10 days now even if PCR negative.

We are reintroducing masks and staggered break/lunch times and no whole year group assembly’s

@GoodnightGrandma

They aren’t doing tests in my DD’s school now. She says that loads of people have coughs and colds, but aren’t going for tests because they know it’s just a cold.

How can they know without a test

If that were possible we wouldn’t have gone to the trouble and costs of testing

We are in an area with soaring rates. Children here must now isolate for 3 days if someone at home tests positive, then PCR after day 3. This is PHE system, all schools in the county.

Parents now all saying that it’s fine, the kids won’t be ill, it’s not serious. It was a bit of a shock to them when we closed year groups as staff are unwell and we cannot operate safely. They couldn’t see the link between sending in ill children and staff testing positive.

Yes my ds15 caught Covid last week when his friend came into school ill and coughing with Covid because he wanted to get his 100% attendance certificate at the end of the school year

Squinting his eyes 😂. Is this a symptom of Covid now?

In reality, this is what living with it looks like.

If the child doesn't have symptoms, or if they are ill, but have a negative test and so it is just a cold, then guidance is that they are in.

There's no avoiding the fact that everyone is, eventually, going to catch Covid. Most of us are going to catch it many times over.

And, yes, employer good will is gone - especially in industries which are only just getting back on their feet and at a time of major labour shortages. Unless there is a positive test, most employers expect staff in and kids sent to school, even if there's a positive test in the household.

I'm not saying its right, or that I agree with it, (I personally think the household thing is madness!) but until/unless the pressure on hospitals looks unmanageable, this is 'normal' now, and in that respect, letting it run through school classes sooner rather than later is probably better. We might as well take the pain and move on.

It's stunning to be how little Britain seems to care about slowing the pandemic. There are so many low cost, easy steps between total lockdown and pretending that nothing is happening.

Jesus wept, it seems sometimes like they want kids to catch it.

@Bizawit

Squinting his eyes 😂. Is this a symptom of Covid now?

Not for a PCR, but eye pain is common for kids with covid and one red eye weirdly.

Jesus wept, it seems sometimes like they want kids to catch it.

They do.

"There's no avoiding the fact that everyone is, eventually, going to catch Covid. Most of us are going to catch it many times over."

A huge number of people have already had it going by the 'dropping like flies', half the class off, lots of teachers off, comments which have been going on for 20 months. At this rate the number of people who have never had it is falling rapidly.

This is living with Covid whether you like it or not.
Everyone will most likely get it. Maybe a few times. Probably best for kids to get it when they are younger and immune systems more robust.

Hopefully in a few years when it’s done the rounds over and over again we’ll all have lots of antibodies and it won’t be as disruptive.

Artificially suppressing the virus is pointless unless deaths rise. Cases will shoot up every time you relax measures. What’s the end goal here?

The NHS can’t be ‘protected’ every year with harmful measures. We’re beyond that and need to work out what living with this virus circulating constantly looks like.

I do think it’s hard for people to get their heads round this. After lockdown and constant isolations.

They are following government guidelines but I'm not sure morally it's right. If there was covid in my house and any the children were even sightly under the weather, I would keep them home until results were back.

Outside of these threads, I think a significant number of people are pretty fatalistic now about Covid.

With case level being what they are, and no prospect of Government taking action to meaningfully control numbers (measures that much of society would vigorously resist), most children are going to get Covid...

So what's the point in suffering the inconvenience (at best) and lost earnings or even job (at worst) that would result from isolating? The truth is there isn't really any point... it's a futile gesture that presumes we can somehow "stop the spread".

@Kitcat122

They are following government guidelines but I'm not sure morally it's right. If there was covid in my house and any the children were even sightly under the weather, I would keep them home until results were back.

You may have the luxury to be "moral" over this. Many don't... But really, is there any point to artificially suppressing the spread? All it does is delay the inevitable surely.

@Warhertisuff

The parents were home anyway so that luxury was gone! So yes it’s shitty to send an under the weathered kid into school when rest of fam have covid

@Nancydrawn

It's stunning to be how little Britain seems to care about slowing the pandemic. There are so many low cost, easy steps between total lockdown and pretending that nothing is happening.

Jesus wept, it seems sometimes like they want kids to catch it.

Who do you mean by “Britain”?

I do think it’s hard for people to get their heads round this. After lockdown and constant isolations.

I agree. I don't think some people have reconciled themselves to the fact that,
short of truly extreme measures, there's little we can do to prevent the bulk of the population from being infected. We can choose whether that happens in the next couple of months, or the next 18 months, but we can't really do more than that. I think most people realise this.... but some holdouts on here haven't.

It will all level out in other countries too. Magic masks won’t be worn forever. So then what? The virus eventually circulates through the whole population. You’re just choosing whether to delay this until when? Because no country will keep masks and other ‘mitigations’ forever.

@Bizawit yes in as much as red, sore, watery eyes is a symptom that test and trace ask you about. Certainly my DD currently has this and so do I.

@Hellocatshome

Jesus wept, it seems sometimes like they want kids to catch it.

They do.

Not the ones at Eton though.

Just ours.

@GoodnightGrandma

They aren’t doing tests in my DD’s school now. She says that loads of people have coughs and colds, but aren’t going for tests because they know it’s just a cold.

DH's cousin "knew" his covid was an extended wedding hangover caused by unaccustomed drinking.

Jesus wept, it seems sometimes like they want kids to catch it.

It's irrelevant whether you want kids to catch it or not. Most will either way. You can choose whether you want that to occur over the next month or so, or the next 6/12/18 months (depending on the strength of your restrictions), but that's all.

All kids will most likely get it. Even those at private schools..

Different in Scotland thankfully. Close household contact needs to get tested and can come back to school if they get negative pcr.