Don't 'save Christmas' instead save schools and keep them in person in January (Save Schools = YES)

[SoTiredNeedHoliday]

I feel that our kids have suffered enough and missed out on significant important social and academic periods of their lives. It feels like the PM is 'keeping Christmas' because of fears about his popularity and also because of the 'party' sandal. He should be thinking of the greater good and our lives longer term.
I feel restrictions now for 2/3 weeks and enabling kids to go to school in January is far more important than 'keeping Christmas' and having a lockdown or home schooling in January

What do you think?

Save Schools = YES

Closing schools(to most children) isn’t a break for teachers at all - they ended up doing a double work load, teaching the key worker and vulnerable children at school (who absolutely had to be there) and doing on line teaching.

By all means extend the holiday by a week if it’ll make a difference, but no to a long lockdown with children attempting to “home school” for an extended period.

OP your stance that people that disagree with your view aren’t thinking of the wider population is very hypocritical.

I don’t have any children and my income directly relates to the hospitality and events industry being open and at full capacity. I would love to hear what plan you have come up with, seen as you have apparently considered the wider population, to ensure that the 3.2 million people who currently work within hospitality (plus the millions more in other effected industries) can pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads while restrictions/lockdown takes place to “save schools”?

Wow utterly selfish and senseless.

Keep kids off so they don't bring it home to their vulnerable relatives

YES

But actually it'd be better for everyone to close schools and indoor crowded events now, we have a very small window of opportunity to lessen the blow of Omicron.

We're not taking it. Like last time, it'll be too little, too late, and the pain we suffer will be far worse as a result.

We should have vaccinated kids - but it's too late now. DH can't get a booster for love nor money without standing in line for hours which he doesn't have the time to do (work). They can't cope with boosters - who's going to vaccinate the kids? And they wouldn't get any protection at all for weeks. It's too late. Restrictions are the only thing that would work, and closing all schools now. But they won't. Because Boris needs to wait for deaths before he acts.

I'm not advocating schools closing, but what about staff who are, or have family at home who are, CV/CEV?

DD is a teacher and we're both incredibly worried about what the new year may bring.

YABU. Not all people have children, not all children are school age. My DC is too young for school and she is my priority. Why should she miss out because of other older children? Schools opening is not on my priority list and I won’t be stopping my families Christmas for it, sorry.

The youth have absolutely suffered in terms of their mental health, but so have many other (most) groups and ages. At this point i think manual health, security and people’s support systems need to be protected above education (I appreciate school is more than just education). Seeing family and friends at Christmas is normally a good thing for mental health in both adults and youth so I think that is important right now.

@LivingNextDoorToNorma I agree with you completely lockdowns are tough for everyone. Your brother is a sad example of this, and he is by no means alone.

My point of topic was meant to infer a short period of temporary restrictions to stop the rapid growth in cases would hopefully help keep everything open in January and be best for everyone. Restrictions over Christmas when things are not that busy would have least impact I imagine.

Especially as everyone is cancelling their bookings at restaurants and west end shows are being canceled due to actors being hit with covid (hamiliton etc).

It'll be worse for hospitality to have a lockdown in January than it would be to have restrictions now. The economic impacts are always worse if you act late - this has been shown so many times the world over.

It wouldn’t work as a plan

It’ll be pretty fast rise and hopefully decline this way anyway

@Madworld26 I'm not saying I have all the answers, any you're right self employed people were particularly badly hit in the lockdowns but covid is here and numbers are out of control - what do you think is going to happen?
My thoughts on schools goes to the wider community too, if we can slow the numbers then everything can remain open - you see what I mean?

BTW I don't think seeing people at Xmas should be restricted - people should be free to make their own decisions and choices about whether to see family or not because all those attending will know the risks.

Crowded indoor events should be stopped though - because they fuel spread so much.

Simplistic and unimaginative thinking. No reason why the choice should be between 'cancelling' Christmas or 'closing' the schools in January. (Inverted commas as the truth is also that either of these would be somewhat partial measures - Christmas will still happen in some form, and schools will still be open to some children - perhaps a larger number than last time around.)

Masks. Vaccine passports. Keep on with the jabs (including for primary school children where parents are comfortable with this). Testing and contact tracing. Proper sustained funding for the NHS (better late than never). Proper resourcing to allow schools to remain open more safely, as the unions have been calling for for nearly two years. Kindness and compassion (maybe a bit of Christmas spirit ) and recognition that priorities, resilience and sacrifices vary hugely.
And keep watching the data to see what omicron really means for us.

@theemperorhasnoclothes

It'll be worse for hospitality to have a lockdown in January than it would be to have restrictions now. The economic impacts are always worse if you act late - this has been shown so many times the world over.

There's major seasonality though. Haven't checked the data, but can imagine large chunks of hospitality (and other sectors - retail etc) ordinarily make more in December than in Jan and Feb combined.

No. We need both Christmas as usual and open schools. Always.

Anyway listening to the news this morning it seems we are all going to get omicron if we leave the house next week at all, so Christmas will be cancelled anyway.

Locking down for a few weeks will have no lasting impact on the spread of omicron
Nothing is going to at the moment. All we can do is get vaccinated where possible and take sensible precautions.

We need both.
The fear mongering needs to stop though.

It's not an either or situation. The virus is spreading too fast.
I will see 2 people over Christmas, my mum who my 2 year old son has only met twice due to covid and my SIL who has been our support bubble since it became a thing. No Christmas do as it was cancelled.
When DS returns to nursery he will mix with 20 households and DSS will mix with 30 households. I dont want schools or nurseries to close any more than you but YABU that thinking cancelling Christmas will be sufficient to stop transmission.

Nope.

Not everyone has kids.

I'd rather have Christmas.

Not really bothered if my kids are at home. I like my kids being here and none of us were unhappy about home schooling last time.

HTH

People wouldn't listen anyway.... Christmas will go ahead whatever the government say

@MorningStarling

YABU. Christmas is more important because EVERYBODY can enjoy it. Only kids go to school, and a lot of them bloody loathe it.

If someone says "I'm a SAHM and don't want the kids around the house next term" or "I'm in work and childcare is a nightmare if the schools are shut" I get that POV, but that doesn't change my view.

Is this a joke?

We’ll actually if everyone who had school kids and wants to prioritise schools opening stops all contact with others outside of school that would have an impact, leaving those of us who don’t really care if schools close to see who we like. So suggest that everyone who wants to prioritise schools does so of their own accord, and those of us who want to prioritise Christmas can do so too. Free choice!

Yanbu Their education should come first. Kids going through their GCSE years are really struggling and it may affect them for years to come. Vulnerable kids especially need to be prioritised.

Child protection should be at the forefront of everyone's minds atm.

Nope. I don’t see why I should miss Xmas so someone else’s kids can go to school. The majority of people don’t have kids at school so quite reasonably don’t give a shit.