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. 🙄

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

@Comedycook

How many? 10,000+ children left with long covid symptoms continuing for over a year (ONS figures) including my (previously completely healthy, slim, sporty) son who’s been left in pain for 21 months now. Sorry, did you think this was theoretical for me? Your response would certainly indicate you don’t care and certainly haven’t experienced it.

Oh, and hundreds of cases of PIMS too, caused by covid (look it up, it’s a bit nasty, left my son with organ damage).

Is it possible for some people to grasp that covid does affect children and the masks/ventilation/vaccinations etc is to protect the children themselves not just the adults?

So if it “makes you sick” that children are having to protect adults, spare a thought for the children that have been left with long term conditions, and children that need protection so they don’t end up with long term conditions from covid.

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

The government's lack of timely action is inhumane.

Have you seen the crackpot idea from Tory MP Robert Halfwit Halfon in the Mail today where one of his suggestions to minimise disruption to education is 'possibly having joint classes with other schools nearby'

What a brilliant idea to spread covid further and faster through other schools!

Has he actually spent time in a school? The logistics would be a nightmare - staff wouldn't know the childrens names, they would be distracted by having 'other' children join their class, the topic/ lesson plans would differ.

Two years into the pandemic and the Government haven't actually sorted any proper mitigations in schools and where's the elusive catch up Johnson promised?!

Half my DC's year 6 class were off with Covid pre-Christmas - teacher thankfully was still in - so hopefully there will be less disruption as pupils have had Covid recently within this academic year.

If they did 'close' schools across the board again I can't see any good reason to not allow children to attend who have actually had Covid within a timeframe that they would still have some immunity from infection (say a positive PCR in the last 2months or so)

At the beginning of the pandemic I distinctly remember watching the TV and them telling us that masks weren't necessary for the general public. Now this. What evidence emerged from then until now that changed their stance?

@Comedycook

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?

You might want to know whey we in the UK don't vaccinate children against chickenpox...

The second reason that chickenpox isn’t part of the UK’s childhood vaccination programme is even more controversial. Some scientists think that being exposed to children with an active chickenpox infection will provide an immunity boost to adults who were infected with the disease, reducing the risk of a shingles reactivation.

While children with chickenpox will need to be kept away from adults who have never contracted or been vaccinated against the disease, adults who have had chickenpox are encouraged to spend time with infected children to minimise their shingles risk.

Guess sometimes, we blithely allow children to protect adults, hey? With more far reaching consequences...

@Comedycook

At the beginning of the pandemic I distinctly remember watching the TV and them telling us that masks weren't necessary for the general public. Now this. What evidence emerged from then until now that changed their stance?

They said that because there weren’t enough masks for healthcare staff.

There have been endless studies showing masks work and that Covid is airborne.

Yes @Piggywaspushed. I did know that about chicken pox!

Children have done enough to protect adults.... absolutely makes me sick

Now is the time to protect the children rather than carelessly send them into Covid soup come Tuesday.

@Comedycook

At the beginning of the pandemic I distinctly remember watching the TV and them telling us that masks weren't necessary for the general public. Now this. What evidence emerged from then until now that changed their stance?

The evidence was always there, and you can google it.

It didn't suit the government's narrative at the time, hence, the "school's are safe places", "children don't get covid" tropes, etc.etc.

Sad that the public don't seem to learn and will happily throw the mental health of children under the bus....

@Comedycook

Sad that the public don't seem to learn and will happily throw the mental health of children under the bus....

What do you mean by that?

@Comedycook

Sad that the public don't seem to learn and will happily throw the mental health of children under the bus....

And the physical health, as outlined in my previous reply to you.

I wonder how you think my son’s mental health is doing, with being in pain everyday.

Piggywaspushed

I also think that the approach to chickenpox vaccination in this country is wrong. Having read the jcvi minutes for vaccinating 12+ they considered a similar “benefit” to be gained from refusing to vaccinate them too. That it was even a consideration to wilfully let kids be infected to protect adults is immoral. No one knows the long term effects of the virus either.

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread. It is staggering that education now appears to be seen as an optional extra rather than essential.

@Comedycook

Sad that the public don't seem to learn and will happily throw the mental health of children under the bus....

Sad that people weaponise the mental health of children to make an argument without ever really caring about the mental health of children.

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread.

Nope, just re read the thread and can't see one poster who thinks this. Are you imagining it maybe?

@Comedycook

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread. It is staggering that education now appears to be seen as an optional extra rather than essential.

I haven’t seen anyone say they want schools closed.

Safe and open yes.

Closed no.

And the safer they are the longer they stay open!

Perhaps you want them closed?

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread.

Where has anyone said schools should close?

My 13 year old has had one vaccine my Y7 11 year has not had any. Perhaps this will help in next few months while everyone gets double vaccinated.

@Comedycook

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread. It is staggering that education now appears to be seen as an optional extra rather than essential.

Really? I think some (misguided or misinformed) posters seem to think that schools can keep going regardless of having no mitigations, whilst others want to keep them open and are willing to try everything to make that happen but I don’t see posters who want schools to close. Where are you seeing that? This is a thread about wearing masks in schools, not closing schools.

Because the whole debate almost insinuates that children are being unreasonable to even attend school in the first place...the initial closure of schools has changed the entire public perception of education imo.

It seems sadly that there is a huge appetite for closing the schools again judging by this thread.

The options shouldn't be carrying on as normal or closing schools. We are almost 2 years in and it's shocking that our government has put so little thought into education. I can't believe we're back at education announcements just days before school open. It's not good enough from those in charge.

@Aimeehedge

Piggywaspushed

I also think that the approach to chickenpox vaccination in this country is wrong. Having read the jcvi minutes for vaccinating 12+ they considered a similar “benefit” to be gained from refusing to vaccinate them too. That it was even a consideration to wilfully let kids be infected to protect adults is immoral. No one knows the long term effects of the virus either.

Yes. I agree.

If “I’d like my child to be safer in school” is being interpreted as “schools must close!” then it’s not just schools that are important, but some kind of adult literacy initiative too…