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. 🙄

@BonnesVacances I’m so sorry to hear about your dd. I can’t imagine how hard it must and how strong you’re having to be. I really share your anger and frustration at the apathy towards mitigations, and the complacency that healthy kids will be fine. We know that’s not the case. We know that it can hit healthy kids out of nowhere and leave them with long term complications that are so much for them to deal with.

And you’ve seen on this thread - 3 people I’ve replied to about how ill my son is, none of them bothered to reply, accept the correction or offer their sympathies. Just bury their heads in the sand, pretend it would never happen to their kids, and fuck the kids who it does damage. How can they pretend they care about kids? It’s sick.

It feels a bit useless, but I’m sending our best to you and your dd from me and ds

@BonnesVacances

I'd go in and help in a school as I can teach. Except for DD, who is one of those DC who apparently isn't at risk of long term harm from Covid, yet has spent 18 months bed bound since getting it. And I had to give up work to care for her full time and can't leave her in the house alone.

PP on here moaning about masks, their DC's mental health and this magical shield they think is around their DC protecting them from harm don't have a fucking clue. Imagine everything you think you and your DC will find hard coping with Covid mitigations and then times it by eleventy billion and you might come close to what it would be like living with not recovering from Covid. Why parents wouldn't do everything within their power to avoid that is baffling. Poor DC!

I'm so sorry, @BonnesVacances. It must be incredibly frustrating for you to read continual posts about DC not being in any danger from Covid when your lived experience is this. I hope your dd begins to recover soon.

I think a lot of people on here overestimate the number of TAs that there are in s books. It's not like a few years ago where every primary class has their own TA. In my school and most others I know TAs are shared and many work part-time. It certainly isn't the case that if a teacher is sick a TA will always be there to cover. Our TAs also work as midday assistants so there are difficulties with lunchtime cover if they are having to take classes. We don't have any midday assistants that don't also work in another role in school.

In schools, that should say

So sorry for you too @BewareTheLibrarians. It seems to me that long covid is so often minimised and even written off as paranoia or hypochondria, and that is astonishingly insulting. As someone who has lived with chronic illness all my life I get it.

My ds says he's happy to wear a mask in school, because he is sensible and compassionate. He says it's not comfortable for hours at a time but really not the great big deal so many of the shouters are making out.

The thing is that I'm not sure masks are that effective against Omicron. My son was wearing masks in lessons, as were his friends, and they all caught it in December. And were double vaccinated.

There is a downside in terms of pupil participation in lessons when wearing masks (according to our teachers who don't support masks). I can understand wearing a mask out of courtesy to protect the teachers but, if they're not in favour, it becomes a more difficult decision.

There is a downside in terms of pupil participation in lessons when wearing masks (according to our teachers who don't support masks). I can understand wearing a mask out of courtesy to protect the teachers but, if they're not in favour, it becomes a more difficult decision.
If masks in classrooms are mandated, whether staff support masks or not, they should be worn. Staff should not be going against that.

Staff weren't going against that. They were simply giving their opinion. Our school introduced masks in lessons at the end of November.

We also had large numbers of staff off in the last two weeks of term as, despite the mask wearing in last , they also caught covid.

Sorry, mask wearing in lessons.

I’m not happy about it. DD is very very shy, the masks make it incredibly hard for her to participate in class. I could ask for her not to wear one, but she won’t as she doesn’t want to stand out.
She is double jabbed. It’s okay though, all the adults got to go out for new year and we have stayed in most of the holidays to reduce contact.

I work in a school. They won’t wear them there anyway, or they constantly fiddle with them and pull them down.

You must work in a very different school to the ones I know. Giving an opinion - which is against a school policy - to the students does not normally end well for the staff.

I don't work in a school, nor did they say it to students. I'm a parent and it was said by various teachers when I went in to help with covid testing.

@plm456

We also had large numbers of staff off in the last two weeks of term as, despite the mask wearing in last , they also caught covid.

When you wear a blue or fabric mask, you’re protecting others more than yourself. So if you’re in a class of unmasked children, and it’s very transmissible, you’ll still likely catch it.

If the whole class wears one of these masks, there will be better protection for everyone

If the whole class wears ffp2 or ffo3 there’ll be even more protection for everyone. That’s why other countries mandate them.

Thank you @BewareTheLibrarians and @Madhairday. It is frustrating to see parents burying their heads in the sand as to some extent I consider that to be neglect and I feel sorry for the DC. Love and strength to you too Beware.

This is what not dying from Covid can look like for young children (this is not my DD).
twitter.com/lou_sav/status/1476938452566478877?s=21

@bizboz

I think a lot of people on here overestimate the number of TAs that there are in s books. It's not like a few years ago where every primary class has their own TA. In my school and most others I know TAs are shared and many work part-time. It certainly isn't the case that if a teacher is sick a TA will always be there to cover. Our TAs also work as midday assistants so there are difficulties with lunchtime cover if they are having to take classes. We don't have any midday assistants that don't also work in another role in school.

It's also very rare to have a ta in the afternoon in primary, with the exception of 1:1 and that doesn't always materialise.

ok so for most people, omicron is like a mild cold (yes sadly for some it is far worse, but that's true to colds to pneumonia). We may have to live with this forever, including working when not 100%. We'll probably be well-advised to wear masks in public places forever too - even if they are not type 2/surgical, they obs provide some protection - mainly to others. That's just logical.