What’s the point of masks at school anymore?!?

[VaccineSticker]

Before anyone shoots me down, I have worn an ffp2 mask right from the beginning and never stopped, and wont be stopping, but it’s obvious now that the plan is that there’s no plan and they are letting the virus spread, so why are they asking kids to mask up?
Asking kids to mask up is like trying to build a sea defence wall to protect ourselves from a tsunami. 🤣
The horse has bolted.
Night clubs are open, packed pubs and restaurants are open, people going into poorly ventilated offices and the list goes on, all maskless especially after all the NYE parties.
But oh no, kids now need to be masked?
Do they think we are stupid?
Do they want us to believe that they are doing something to fight omicron?
Why don’t just be honest and say we are going to let it rip?
The plan is to take it on the chin people. 🙄

Teachers have lower absence rates than most other professions and also, yes, they are more at risk from Covid :

www.fenews.co.uk/education/neu-comment-as-covid-rates-of-infection-1-9-times-higher-amongst-teachers-and-school-staff-than-for-the-general-public/

Not sure why I am rising to the blatant teacher bashing tbh.

@Piggywaspushed I’m certainly not bashing teachers. Read my posts. On the contrary I think they have been thrown under the bus.

@CarrieBlue

Yeah those nice safe offices, many of which don't have windows that open at all, everyone breathing the same air for 8/9/10 hours a day, and colds/flus/viruses spread like wildfire every single year anyway. Those ones you mean? No such thing as a germ free safe office!

Didn't say you were OP.

Does feel like your thread has attracted some though.

Aren't many office workers WFH?

@onoyine

...because teachers go off sick at the drop of a hat. They average nearly 2 weeks per year on top of all their holidays.

And who do you reckon they get their sickness from? 🙄

It's to stop the teachers refusing to go back and to keep the unions happy. That is all.

I'm a teacher and have seen the negative impact it has on communication and learning firsthand

I'm a teacher, and I haven't.

@DoubleShotEspresso

They can get their sickness from anyone. Anyone in shops, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels, anyone else in their household. Anywhere you meet another human basically.

The government doesn't give a shit about the unions. Honestly, where does MN get this myth about all powerful teaching unions from?

@nojudgementhere not joking, I’m being serious. Ventilation is also a major factor along with air filtration and spaced out seating arrangements.

Understandably masks can pose problems with communication for some but on the whole they can enable schools to remain operational.

@Aworldofmyown

It's to stop the teachers refusing to go back and to keep the unions happy. That is all.

Nonsense.

[quote DaisyMum40]@CarrieBlue

Yeah those nice safe offices, many of which don't have windows that open at all, everyone breathing the same air for 8/9/10 hours a day, and colds/flus/viruses spread like wildfire every single year anyway. Those ones you mean? No such thing as a germ free safe office! [/quote]
Those offices where you can sit nursing whatever illness/hangover you’ve picked up.

Or then again, working from home, taking flexi time, popping out when you need some fresh air…

@Piggywaspushed

The government doesn't give a shit about the unions. Honestly, where does MN get this myth about all powerful teaching unions from?

The Daily Mail and other shitty papers.

Boris battles unions to reopen schools etc, but it's all made up.

Some people clearly believe it. I wonder if they can explain why, if teacher unions are so powerful, we keep getting our pay cut?

@Lovelyricepudding

OP mentioned schools, school staff are more exposed than any other sector bar the Covid wards in hospitals.

OP mentioning it doesn't make it true.

The ONS published data just before Christmas showing that teachers were 37% more likely to be infected than the average member of the public.

Yup, I posted link upthread.

@Finfintytint

I think the teaching unions want mask wearing with no real understanding of what else is going on. Teaching unions have always been over cautious ( bit like Nicola Sturgeon). Teachers are a bit special, much like GPs. No logic required.

Teaching unions don't represent teachers. I'm a teacher. They haven't asked me if I want masks. Teaching unions are a bit special. Not teachers!

@CarrieBlue

Oh, so office workers should continue to go in when they're not well and spread whatever they've got? That's your perception of safe is it?

Before anyone shoots me down, I have worn an ffp2 mask right from the beginning and never stopped, and wont be stopping, but it’s obvious now that the plan is that there’s no plan and they are letting the virus spread, so why are they asking kids to mask up?

Because the government line is that they have done everything possible to keep schools open.

Schools are about to fall over badly, and if they haven't even done something basic like masks in classrooms, that's going to make their claim look like the obvious bollocks it is.

One might ask why, if they're doing everything to keep schools open, they haven't yet sorted ventilation after two years. Or why they're not reintroducing isolation of household contacts. Or at least making sure there's an actual supply of LFTs so that those contacts can test daily as they are supposed to.

Maybe it’s all those germs/bugs we are around all day long in confined unventilated rooms…!

Yeah, same as most workers.

@Finfintytint do you share one smallish room with 30 unvaccinated, unmasked people whose desks you need to lean over constantly and who are likely to sneeze on you, and/or wipe their noses with their hands and then touch you? Welcome to a lower primary school classroom

Are teachers dropping like flies though?
More so than any other worker?

The issue is that if teachers are off sick, schools will have to close and a large percentage of parents would have to have time off to care for their children, therefore a larger number of workplaces will have to close just because there are a lack of teachers.

@onoyine

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Yep... Broke my leg on a school trip at the beginning of the school year and had 3 months off, on top of the 6 weeks I already had! (Pre Covid)

I’m a teacher and a union rep and some of the bull shit posted here is ridiculous. I hope others working in different professions never have to find themselves in a situation where they wished they had a union to turn to

Are teachers dropping like flies though?
More so than any other worker?

Short answer yes.
www.fenews.co.uk/education/neu-comment-as-covid-rates-of-infection-1-9-times-higher-amongst-teachers-and-school-staff-than-for-the-general-public/

I also don't understand it. I'm pretty sure I read a headline the other day saying that masks don't do anything against omicron.

But kids are probably the worst to mask up. I can barely keep my hands of my mask and face when I have one on, so I can imagine kids are touching them regularly. It's probably increasing their risk of getting ill from a number of things, covid included, for many kids.