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Covid

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Original poster

School covid outbreak WWYD?

60 replies

Halloweenrainbow · 31/10/2021 22:40

For context I'm a single parent with limited resources and support.

Due to work commitments, DD (6) is collected and watched after school by DM (75) who has several covid vulnerabilities and has not yet received a booster (due to a temporary health issue) . Just found out that there is an outbreak in DDs class involving 2 children and 1 teacher. These are my options :

A- Keep DD off for a week hoping that it doesn't spread anymore and DD doesn't catch it and pass on to DM.

B - Carry on as normal hoping that the vaccine holds.

OP posts:

PeachesPumpkin · 31/10/2021 22:41

The government have said it must be B. They are idiots though…

PeachesPumpkin · 31/10/2021 22:42

And poor teachers who are continually exposed to COVID in unsafe working conditions.

Williamshatnershorses · 31/10/2021 22:43

A, if you can manage it, gives you a bit more certainty and control over the situation and would enable you to plan your week and know you are keeping your mum safer. I feel that with B you would be on ‘high alert’ all the time wondering if anything was going to happen. So A would be what I’d do, if possible.

Egghead68 · 31/10/2021 22:44

Is there any possibility of taking a week’s leave to pick up DD yourself, or asking/paying someone else to do it?

Egghead68 · 31/10/2021 22:45

(And who would look after your daughter in option A?)

CiderWithLizzie · 31/10/2021 22:47

Most teachers are probably not due their boosters shots yet, so should still be well protected. Hopefully.

Original poster

Halloweenrainbow · 31/10/2021 22:53

What worries me most is that DM is 6 months + 2nd dose but hasn't had booster. I could take time off to avoid the outbreak but how long might it last? 24 children and 2 part-time teachers and an assistant each theoretically taking 5 days to develop symptoms DD might be off until new year! On the other hand it feels so wrong to send DD into an outbreak knowing that we're bringing it home to DM.

OP posts:

YerAWizardHarry · 31/10/2021 22:54

It won’t be over in a week.. my sons class were still getting cases 4 weeks after the first outbreak

CarrieBlue · 31/10/2021 22:58

@CiderWithLizzie

Most teachers are probably not due their boosters shots yet, so should still be well protected. Hopefully.

I’m a teacher, coming up to six months since vax 2. No chance of a booster for 4 years at least according to the government.

Original poster

Halloweenrainbow · 31/10/2021 23:08

@PeachesPumpkin

The government have said it must be B. They are idiots though…

As much as I hate isolating and testing, in situations like this I really wish everyone involved at least had to LFT.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 31/10/2021 23:14

Won’t half term have provided a bit of a fire break? Maybe see if there are any new cases tomorrow?

I arranged alternative childcare in this scenario. If that’s not possible then are there any precautions your DM could take? Mask? Stay outside? (maybe not in this weather). Can you LFT your DD?

noblegiraffe · 31/10/2021 23:15

No chance of a booster for 4 years at least

Are they not giving them to under 50s at all then?

BungleandGeorge · 31/10/2021 23:24

When was your half term? When did the cases get detected? Will she have already been exposed? Presumably the 3 cases are not in school? What will happen with childcare if she’s off? Can you use afterschool club or annual leave? My experience is that transmission has happened just a couple of kids at a time but on a regular basis so I don’t think you’ll be able to manage the risk by keeping her off for a risk. There’s such high numbers in children that there’s a constant risk of getting it. Your child could do daily lateral flows?

Skysblue · 31/10/2021 23:25

I would not send her to school and then to the vulnerable family member.

Options I guess are either continue with school but find different after school childcare, or deregister the child and rejoin school when the school outbreak is over.

CarrieBlue · 31/10/2021 23:27

@noblegiraffe

No chance of a booster for 4 years at least

Are they not giving them to under 50s at all then?

Currently they’ve not got any plans have they? So no, still a long time to wait.

Original poster

Halloweenrainbow · 31/10/2021 23:28

We're in Scotland so we've just come back from half term to this outbreak

OP posts:

savagebaggagemaster · 31/10/2021 23:33

@noblegiraffe

No chance of a booster for 4 years at least

Are they not giving them to under 50s at all then?

Only vulnerable under 50s

So I've got two years to wait...

BlackeyedSusan · 31/10/2021 23:33

getting a postal test took five days for us recently. ;normally about three days. that may buy you time.

BungleandGeorge · 31/10/2021 23:34

Won’t she have already been in a classroom with them? I would be trying to heavily persuade your mum to have the booster. Primary kids are all unvaccinated so unfortunately I don’t think the risk of them getting covid is going to decrease for some time yet. How does your mum feel about having her?

PookieNoodlinPearlyGates · 31/10/2021 23:35

I think you just have to send her in. There’s so much Covid about unless you just stay home she could get it anyway from elsewhere.

If it makes you feel any better two of my children recently had Covid and no one else in the family got it. Even though youngest really wanted to get it to have ten days off school and got extremely close! Fortunately my DH didn’t get it either and he is vulnerable.

Summerfun54321 · 01/11/2021 00:03

I’m high risk for covid and waiting for my booster like your DM. No way would I send my DC to school in an outbreak. For us high risk lot, these next few weeks getting through the other side of the booster programme are critical. Then the new anti viral drugs will have been approved and we can relax a bit more like everyone else.

Summerfun54321 · 01/11/2021 00:05

The attitude “you’ll get it some time” and “covid is here to stay” etc don’t really apply to high risk people as getting it before a booster and after a booster could have gravely different outcomes.

BungleandGeorge · 01/11/2021 00:07

Do you mean you’re not eligible for the booster yet? Surely anyone high risk should be getting it as soon as they can, there’s plenty of availability

ShadesOfMagenta · 01/11/2021 00:25

OP - have your DM wear one of the better paper masks & have the window open whilst she cares for your DD.

This will minimise any possible spread.

Angel2702 · 01/11/2021 00:26

The problem is in that age group there’s no way of telling how many have it as there are likely to be others without symptoms.

My daughter has just had covid no other cases we know of in her class and we only picked it up on a LFT for an outside school club. No idea how many others have it or who gave it to her as she had zero symptoms and it’s likely whosever gave it to her was the same.

If you keep her off now there’s no way of knowing if there are cases when she goes back or if she has it without symptoms herself.

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