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. 🙄

@JovialNickname

For those posters assuming that mask wearing has any kind of measurable outcome in regard to Covid; yes there is some small evidence that wearing medical grade (not disposable) masks that are only used once and are sterile when applied, and are put on and removed correctly, for a minimal period of time before replacing with a new one - do provide some small benefit with regard to Covid transmission. Flimsy disposable masks crumpled up at the bottom of a teenagers bag, covered in crisp crumbs, worn for days at a time - you'd have to be insane to assume this confers some type of provable medical benefit. This is beside the fact that no healthy teenager is at risk of any serious effect from covid anyway.

@JovialNickname @Finfintytint

This assertion that “no healthy teenager is at risk of any serious effect from covid anyway” is completely wrong. Ds was a bit younger at 10, caught covid, which progressed into PIMS, and he now has organ damage and another complication which means he is in pain every day. It’s being going on for 21 months now. This is a completely healthy, slim, fit child with no underlying conditions. Like his friend from his football team who caught covid and was left with asthma which also hasn’t resolved.

It’s completely ignorant to disregard the long term illness that previously completely healthy children and teenagers have been left with and I have no idea what purpose it serves. Throwing more kids under the bus so you can bury your head in the sand?

I think it’s most likely a ploy to stop the teachers calling for closures.
They’re not going to close schools again (rightly) so they’re going to put something in place so they have a comeback when they’re told they are unsafe.

@Doggoo

I think it’s most likely a ploy to stop the teachers calling for closures. They’re not going to close schools again (rightly) so they’re going to put something in place so they have a comeback when they’re told they are unsafe.

And just how would teachers call for closures?

Id of thought most teachers would prefer to be in school

@Potatodrivers
Most teachers do want to be in school.

It's so that the politicians can pretend they did "something" This is the cheapest "something" that they can do.

@Doggoo

I think it’s most likely a ploy to stop the teachers calling for closures. They’re not going to close schools again (rightly) so they’re going to put something in place so they have a comeback when they’re told they are unsafe.

The govt have put out an emergency call for ex teachers to sign up with supply agencies because they are anticipating schools to become very short of teachers within the next month or so due to catching covid.

They have also issued guidance about combining classes and about using non-teaching school staff to supervise students.

Do you think that they are doing this to pacify unions, or because there's going to be a real problem?

@Doggoo

I think it’s most likely a ploy to stop the teachers calling for closures. They’re not going to close schools again (rightly) so they’re going to put something in place so they have a comeback when they’re told they are unsafe.

No, I’m delighted with the news about masks as I think it might help, even if just a little teeny-tiny bit. That’s why I am REALLY, REALLY puzzled that so many who are (apparently) desperate to keep schools open, aren’t prepared to do anything to make it happen.

Could we all work on pushing for ventilation units in classrooms now! Onwards and upwards so that classrooms are as safe as offices and other workplaces and education isn’t disrupted.

that classrooms are as safe as offices and other workplaces

...work from home where possible.

Gosh, it's almost as if the bat-signal has gone up, isn't it?

Batshit signal.

Awful news ..poor kids

That’s why I am REALLY, REALLY puzzled that so many who are (apparently) desperate to keep schools open, aren’t prepared to do anything to make it happen

Quite.

It's been a feature of attitudes by a number of posters towards Covid and schools since the first lockdown. I say number because so many name change.

They have also issued guidance about combining classes and about using non-teaching school staff to supervise students

Yep. Parents want their children educated and fail to see that this requires a steady teacher or mixture of known teachers depending on schools. Mrs May rocking up on a Thursday to babysit year 3 doing some coloring isn’t education.

Why is it the news of masks in classrooms that's getting the 'awful news, poor kids' treatment, and not the fact that the government is planning for them to be in jumbo classes in the hall supervised by the school receptionist?

@Comedycook

Awful news ..poor kids

Thank you for your kind wo…

Oh wait sorry, you don’t mean the kids who’ve been left with long term illness thanks to covid do you - you mean the ones who have to wear a mask for a few weeks. That’s obviously harder!! Sorry for my mistake xxxx

@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.

I'm a teacher and I agree with the OP

@VaccineSticker

I didn't say YOU were bashing teachers. I wondered why you felt the need to start an identical thread and mentioned that teacher bashers walked among us.

At no point have schools closed because teachers asked for it to happen.
People are crediting the teaching unions with power they really don’t have!
We’d like schools open, therefore masks seems like a small step towards limiting infection = maybe a better chance of staying open.
As a pp said- what you should be upset about is the advice to combine classes. 60 x 11 year olds in one room, taught by a random conscript, is not education and is not safe for many reasons.

In theory masks should be reduce the spread which is transmitted out of our mouths.

However the majority of kids do not wear them properly or don’t wash them enough so I can’t see them being very helpful.

I know many teachers who are CEV or have people at home who are CEV so feel safer being around 150+ pupils a day in small classrooms with little ventilation who are at least wearing some protection but I don’t think it will do much to reduce numbers unfortunately.

We have had masks in schools all along in Wales. It hasn't helped, we've had loads of school outbreaks. It's pointless.

What might help is proper ventilation, but that's expensive hence ignored by the government.

wait sorry, you don’t mean the kids who’ve been left with long term illness thanks to covid do you

How many have been left with long term illnesses?

Masks in schools is absolute nonsense done to placate the public...it's inhumane.

Children have done enough to protect adults.... absolutely makes me sick. How many adults complain about traffic calming measures outside schools designed to keep children safe?

What kind of fucked up world makes it children's responsibility to keep adults safe?

He vast majority of teachers do not want schools to close. Will masks help? I don't know, but the dfe/government have yet again failed to come up with a way of supporting education settings so had to think of something. They have also told heads they can use all non-teaching staff to cover classes and do not have to keep children in consistent groups. This is fine in terms of babysitting, but unlikely to provide high quality teaching.

@Potatodrivers

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.

If you did see that headline, it would have been wrong. It might have been pointing out we need better masks like ffp2 or ffp3 (also known as n95 and n99) now more than ever. They’ve been mandated in many other countries for a year now. They are much more effective at stopping transmission so will be better against omicron. I’ve seen some articles saying we need these masks now, not that all masks are useless. And whilst ffp are better at protecting yourself as well as others, all other masks are still effective especially at protecting others.

As for the touching masks thing, yes of course it’s best if we touch them as little as possible but it’s nowhere near as bad as we thought early on. Covid is airborne and spreads in the air especially indoors. It doesn’t spread on surfaces anywhere near as much as first thought. So wearing a mask still offers more protection against an airborne virus… even if it’s touched once or twice. Obviously hygiene should still be encouraged and we could do with better public health messaging about all of this.