What does Omicron close contact isolation mean for schools?

[Filterphobia]

So yesterday’s announcement said that any close contacts of an Omicron variant will have to isolate for 10 days, please correct me if I’m wrong, I would be happy for this to be incorrect. Does it just mean people in that household, or is it wider contacts?

Does this mean we are back to whole classes isolating if there is a positive case of the Omicron variant in that class? I honestly hope not.

I’m in Wales for context. We still have limited mixing of classes and aren’t doing Christmas concerts, assemblies etc as they seem to be doing in England.

I work in a school and at the minute we're just as much in the dark as you.

Last night it certainly sounded like close contacts will need to isolate for 10 days, which could easily be an entire class in my primary school.

I guess it's a waiting game to see what they say in the next few days.

I teach in a primary as well @Whinge and have two DS in a different primary. My son was watching the news this morning and asked me about the new variant. It was only once I started explaining what’s changed to him it dawned on me this could mean whole class isolation AGAIN! 🙈

We had to isolate over Christmas last year so the thought of this new rule possibly causing class closures is worrying. I currently have a positive case in the class I teach and DS1 has 3 cases in his class.

Wondering the same OP.
Previously close contacts (outside of household) didn’t isolate until a positive result came back. Assuming it would be the same this time, allows any of the close contacts to spread the (possible new variant) virus in the meantime

What does it mean full stop. How are people meant to know which varient they've been exposed to?

They would have to change the way test and trace operates though, we had about 6-8 cases in my DC’s class without any parents being informed (except by the parent network), so don’t know how anyone would know to isolate due to omicron unless T&T comes back into play for school contacts?

It’s an absolute shambles as always isn’t it. @Noducksgiven you’re right it’s not just schools it’s nonsense full stop. When you get a text saying positive it’s not like they tell you the variant is it, how are we supposed to know until days later when TTP call or in some cases I’ve known them not call people at all!

Sounds to me like it will be for wider contacts until they know more.

@Noducksgiven

What does it mean full stop. How are people meant to know which varient they've been exposed to?

I was thinking this are they going to test what variant it is when you have a pcr ? . I’ll be seriously pissed off if isolating us back on at schools I’ve been a close contact recently negative pcr and ds has in the last month.

The definition of close contact for schools has, under the more recent rules, been very minimal. Even in infant schools where children are moving around their room all day a close contact within the school only really applies to children who live together or who have had a sleepover, etc.

I doubt they will change that for close contacts within school.

Teachers haven't been classed as a close contact for ages. We are apparently always 2m away from children and other adults in school 🤷‍♀️ Last October, despite teaching over 200 children and having several staff come into my room during that time, not a single school based adult or child was deemed a close contact, according to PHE.

I suspect children will only be classed as a close contact if it is someone they are in contact with outside of school, as will teaching/school staff.

@Noducksgiven

What does it mean full stop. How are people meant to know which varient they've been exposed to?

I asked the same question. How do we know? Does that mean close contacts have to isolate for 10 days again, despite vaccine status? That's going to be a right ballache... Again.

But the current position is that being in a class doesn't count as close contact (only playdates and overnight stays) so it won't make any difference.

If that changes they will have to go back to involving schools in contact tracing.

Total shambles .
How are we supposed to trust track and trace to identify which variant a child is positive with?
Appalling that again schools are yet to be updated and school staff & parents further worried.
The guidance so far does though state "all contacts" but of course they'll all have been in contact whilst awaiting PCR results. All seems very muddled - can imagine many schools adapting plans for remote learning for the final week or so of school and many parents initiating this themselves in schools that don't.

So if contacts have to isolate if someone has the new variant, do they only have to isolate from the point that is confirmed? So if I develop symptoms today, order a test, it arrives Monday, let’s say I get the results Wednesday and let’s assume T&T are on the ball and I get a call ASAP saying I have the new variant. Will DH and DD be able to go about as normal until it’s confirmed I have the new variant? And then they isolate, after 3/4 days of being out and about?

It’s the lack of logic that annoys me more than the rules themselves half the time.

T&T pisses me off no end. You have to give your child’s school and postcode at least twice in the call/online contact form and not once do they contact the school. So reliant on parents being honest and telling us promptly.

They don't check every PCR test to see what variant it is. They sample a small number. So there is absolutely no way most people will know what variant they have.

@HelenaJustina

T&T pisses me off no end. You have to give your child’s school and postcode at least twice in the call/online contact form and not once do they contact the school. So reliant on parents being honest and telling us promptly.

I told school straight away but school never told any parents which boggles my mind.

Assuming most of you are in England. Interesting in the difference between there and here in Wales. We had an outbreak of Covid in our school involving several classes and staff members and PHW deemed the whole school as close contacts and we had to send info out asking all pupils and staff from Y1-Y6 to do PCR tests on Day 2 and Day 8 as we were all close contacts.
Also in Wales if a household member has symptoms and goes for a PCR the whole household have to isolate regardless of vaccination status and then if it’s positive all others in the household need a negative PCR before they can come out of isolation.

I guess it was just another stunt by BJ et al to seem to be doing something.

@Neolara

They don't check every PCR test to see what variant it is. They sample a small number. So there is absolutely no way most people will know what variant they have.

Exactly. So does that mean we're back to isolating for 10 days when a close contact?

I hate the way these things aren't clear. I'm sure it's deliberate.

@Noducksgiven

What does it mean full stop. How are people meant to know which varient they've been exposed to?

This is exactly what I was thinking!

@Filterphobia

Assuming most of you are in England. Interesting in the difference between there and here in Wales. We had an outbreak of Covid in our school involving several classes and staff members and PHW deemed the whole school as close contacts and we had to send info out asking all pupils and staff from Y1-Y6 to do PCR tests on Day 2 and Day 8 as we were all close contacts. Also in Wales if a household member has symptoms and goes for a PCR the whole household have to isolate regardless of vaccination status and then if it’s positive all others in the household need a negative PCR before they can come out of isolation.

I guess it was just another stunt by BJ et al to seem to be doing something.

I’m in Wales and there have been no close contacts with cases in our school since the new school year began. There have definitely been cases in the school but not enough to prompt any action. Unlike last school year when just one case in a class would mean the entire year isolating.

No all pupils are the same, not all schools are the same.

For secondaries, the yeargroups may be several hundred strong, so bubbles were unjustifiably punitive, especially the older the pupils were and more limited their subjects (up to only 3 subjects at A level, much more limited mixing of individual students in a classroom).

For pupils, many at secondary level will be vaccinated, some will be double vaccinated, some over 16 will be triple vaccinated if they were in the early cohorts of CEV and CV people - these people had their boosters weeks ago now, or if they live with a CEV person, or if they are studying health/social care or work in a health or social care setting as their weekend/holiday job. So some sixth formers are now triple jabbed! They deserve to be treated the same as other triple jabbed adults, and for these people (and double jabbed over 12s) bubble systems are unjustifiable, unless they apply to all double/triple jabbed.

@Neolara

They don't check every PCR test to see what variant it is. They sample a small number. So there is absolutely no way most people will know what variant they have.

I don’t know this for certain that it will happen but there is a gene drop out on PCR so it is possible we will be notified

Although it may not mean school situation changes as contact tracing is different

The thing that worries me is 'suspected of having omicron'. We are sequencing less than a quarter of tests I think. So how do they 'suspect' someone of having omicron.
If its just some random person at test and trace making that decision then I worry a lot of people will finish up isolating for absolutely no reason, because the case in question is not omicron at all but as they aren't sequencing them all they'll never know.

2m distancing for teachers dropped in September abraxan,? Guess we have to go back in our boxes...