End of isolation

[AnEpisodeOfEastenders]

Boris Johnson has indicated the requirement to isolate after a positive Covid test will be scrapped at the end of this month. All I can say is about time too! Let's get back to life.

Yes d@dangerrabbit, it's just another big, red bus with a slogan on the side!

Apologies @StarCat2020**

@toomuchlaundry

Every teacher I know who has had COVID recently have been ill for a number of days, so wouldn’t matter what the isolation rules are, they would have still been off. So not sure whether this will help schools, certainly in the short term

The majority, but not all, of the teachers at the school I work found out they had covid during their routine testing. The majority, but not all, didn't feel unwell. Of those that did feel unwell, the majority felt well enough to return to work after a couple of days. So it's obvious people will still have illnesses and have to have time off work, but it won't be a forced amount of time.

@StarCat2020

The issue isn't just deaths, it is the mayhem it will cause in the NHS

As opposed the the huge backlog that has now built up of people waiting for treatment. From 1600 pre pandemic to over 300,000 now.

Okay this is true but many people develop conditions that cause them to become immunocompromised long after they have gone into teaching. And we cannot afford to lose them in a recruitment crisis. Nor should we have to. We can make schools safe for them

In an ideal world, with unlimited money, we could try to make every workplace 'safe'

But firstly we don't have unlimited money and secondly omicron would probably still spread as it is so transmissible.

And this thread is about ending isolation, and I fully support this as the cost of isolate higher than the benefits.

As opposed the the huge backlog that has now built up of people waiting for treatment. From 1600 pre pandemic to over 300,000 now
If anything this may make dealing with the backlog harder.

Tory cuts

Isolation is

@Quartz2208

Apologies *@StarCat2020* one day in 11 months (previous was 21/02)

What treeflowercat was saying is that tracks with the peaks in late December/Early Jan which was where the cases peaked so it is unlikely to track over again

Thanks. What I was trying to say was that even though 307 seems a large figure, compared to the very large number of cases, it's not actually "that" high.

I haven't read the whole thread but just wonder what the plan is wrt carehomes? I was last allowed in to see my mum 2 weeks before Christmas. Since then her home has been on a continual 14 day outbreak cycle that starts over with each new positive. The residents have had just 1 nominated essential care giver allowed in. I'm losing hope of getting in to see her anytime soon. A little while ago Johnson announced to a fanfare that carehome restrictions were to be removed but he conveniently omitted to clarify that homes still had to follow outbreak guidelines in the event of positive cases.

A little while ago Johnson announced to a fanfare that carehome restrictions were to be removed but he conveniently omitted to clarify that homes still had to follow outbreak guidelines in the event of positive cases
He is a cretin

@CloudsandTeacups

Okay this is true but many people develop conditions that cause them to become immunocompromised long after they have gone into teaching. And we cannot afford to lose them in a recruitment crisis. Nor should we have to. We can make schools safe for them and everyone else but we aren't being supported to do so. This is the issue.

The number of teachers who become immunocompromised will be a small proportion of the total teaching profession. I agree with making reasonable adjustments where possible, but the question is what "reasonable" adjustments need to be put in place to significantly lower the risk to someone who is immunocompromised. The current arrangements don't, even with masks... So short of some very unworkable draconian measures, which would be far from "reasonable", I think you're being unrealistic.

It's tragic for those teachers but they would have been at high risk pre-Covid. Unfortunately sometimes people get illnesses or disabilities that mean they can't do their current job... For instance, a taxi driver who becomes blind, can't still be a taxi driver!

@mrshoho

I haven't read the whole thread but just wonder what the plan is wrt carehomes? I was last allowed in to see my mum 2 weeks before Christmas. Since then her home has been on a continual 14 day outbreak cycle that starts over with each new positive. The residents have had just 1 nominated essential care giver allowed in. I'm losing hope of getting in to see her anytime soon. A little while ago Johnson announced to a fanfare that carehome restrictions were to be removed but he conveniently omitted to clarify that homes still had to follow outbreak guidelines in the event of positive cases.

Absolutely. Like you I’ve barely seen my father due to repeated outbreaks. Care Homes have had a terrible time in the last 2 years. Traumatic outbreaks often with high mortality in the early days and now near continuous isolation for residents. Will isolation for positive health and care workers continue?? Surely we are not going to propose Covid positive staff having contact with multiple vulnerable elderly people ?? Seems mind blowing…

Figgygal

Great
So now if you have it you can just carry on without concern for who you may give it to
Fuck the vulnerable.

^ I'm so worried about it too. As loads of replies here suggest, people will go out and spread it if they're not feeling ill.

With regards to teaching. I retrained 6 years ago and considered teaching as a career option. I dismissed it as I didn’t want to pick up all the constant illnesses that come with a classroom full of young kids. It must have been something that was considered before training. You wouldn’t go in to teaching if you have a weak immune system. You’d never be at work! I understand conditions develop during careers. I got cancer and had to retrain.

Nobody could have foreseen a pandemic (though we were due one). But if I was a vulnerable teacher I’d be having a rethink.

We need to accept we have a new virus circulating every year now.

Fuck sake just done 9 days so far.

I'm so worried about it too. As loads of replies here suggest, people will go out and spread it if they're not feeling ill.

It's being spread right now with isolation! Ending isolation won't suddenly start a spread that's not already been incredibly widespread over the past few months.

@DoctorSnortles

Fucking marvellous. Schools will continue to be great fun to work in. All the folk who talk about how 'the poor children have suffered enough' let's see how you like it when teaching staff drop like flies and your precious moppets are back to remote learning.

Has there ever been a point in this whole pandemic when groups of people have literally dropped like a fly? Over used hyperbolic bullshit 🙄

@treeflowercat

I'm so worried about it too. As loads of replies here suggest, people will go out and spread it if they're not feeling ill.

It's being spread right now with isolation! Ending isolation won't suddenly start a spread that's not already been incredibly widespread over the past few months.

Yeah, I know a lot of people struggle with this but honestly, people having Omicron and going out because they feel fine is very much something that is happening now.

[quote treeflowercat]@CloudsandTeacups

Okay this is true but many people develop conditions that cause them to become immunocompromised long after they have gone into teaching. And we cannot afford to lose them in a recruitment crisis. Nor should we have to. We can make schools safe for them and everyone else but we aren't being supported to do so. This is the issue.

The number of teachers who become immunocompromised will be a small proportion of the total teaching profession. I agree with making reasonable adjustments where possible, but the question is what "reasonable" adjustments need to be put in place to significantly lower the risk to someone who is immunocompromised. The current arrangements don't, even with masks... So short of some very unworkable draconian measures, which would be far from "reasonable", I think you're being unrealistic.

It's tragic for those teachers but they would have been at high risk pre-Covid. Unfortunately sometimes people get illnesses or disabilities that mean they can't do their current job... For instance, a taxi driver who becomes blind, can't still be a taxi driver![/quote]
All valid. You ignore however how critical these workers are, we are incredibly understaffed we cannot afford to tell teachers to do something else.

Is adequately ventilated spaces really a draconian adjustment? This would be the greatest help and was promised (but unsurprisingly has not been delivered)

These staff work annually through flu season without issue. I do not think telling them to do something else is the solution. I do think the government adequately ventilating teaching spaces would help and stronger messaging about vaccines.

Take my class, they are all eligible for a vaccine (only 1 third have had a single dose), in my building there are a proportion of colleagues who remain unvaccinated. Obviously this is everyone's choice but is it right that my CEV colleagues (who are triple or quadruple vaxxed) should be covering classes of unvaccinated students while some unvaccinated colleagues have not been in at all this half term? As they are continually getting pinged to isolate. Seems a bit backward to me.

Hopefully ending isolation will bring a stop to this madness but currently we seem to have our priorities wrong.

Well, as a teacher , I will keep testing and isolate if am positive. I can self certify for 7 days so no issues there. I wont go into work knowingly positive. I am in Wales so it wont change anytime soon. I also know I am lucky to be able to have the choice as I will get paid.

You'll never make any public facing job "safe" and teaching always was and always will be a germ soup. Even if the government had a radical personality transplant and poured money into ventilation etc. Teaching was haemoraging staff long before Covid and the political pressures, excessive data/ paperwork, whimiscal changes to the curriculum and assessment and SLT support have been huge factors in that and will continue to be for the forseeable. The rot was there long, long before Johnson walked into Downing Street and some forms of it were present in the New Labour era, although there was a massive gear change for the worse from Gove.

Ultimately people have to choose jobs that are suitable for their life circumstances which includes health. Some jobs become unsuitable for a multitude of reasons.

The ending of isolation is a positive thing for wider society. A lot of infections are spread before they become evident anyway. I could easily have spread Covid around my family with a clean concience and clear LFTs on Christmas Day hours before I felt a prickle in my throat. Still tested clear that night. Faint line on Boxing Day, confirmed by PCR. A prickly throat and sinus headaches did not warrant a cancellation of life for a week (as isolation was at that point). In reality with colds, I'd naturally filter what I do according to how I feel. If I have plans to see people like older family, I'll consult with them.

Fortunately with vaccination and increasingly mild variants, Covid is increasingly behaving as a normal range of illness and needs to be treated as such. A huge amount of social damage has been done in the past two years, and we need stability to recover that. The constant threat of isolations and fear over every mild potential symptom is very inhibiting. It's time to return to something that looks very much like our old normal and fortunately some options such as more avaliability of remote working are options for people who need to manage their risks to a greater extent than average.

Long COvid.........not dead, but not really living either

We are still avoiding going anywhere to avoid ds with ASC having to try to isolate rather than to avoid Covid itself. I am quite happy to avoid other people if I get it but weeks inside with ds would be a nightmare.