15 year-old close contact, school have told us to test

[elliejjtiny]

Ds1 (aged 15, year 11) has just been identified as a close contact by school. They have said he needs to test every day for the next 7 days which will use up the last of the lateral flow tests we have.

We can afford for the occasional test when the government stop doing the free ones but not 7 days of testing every time one of the dc is a close contact.

Bluebwll- yes for the relative thats having cancer investigations currently and isnt particularly otherwise exposed.
Vs a school where noone is now wearing masks, literally the teachers just had it and very likely gave it to my dc and us (unfortunately as it seems to have spread much worse this time as adults had it).
It is shit but true we wouldnt have even known about it without a random test. I now only know of 2 people who havent had it at the school but their ds just did so ?.
The issue is excluding kids with coughs etc but not the ones with actual covid symptoms. As dc was in for a whole day with symptoms but not the 3.

There are just currently so many asymptomatic kids that keeping those with symptoms off makes no difference. Basically the vaccines wore off so more adults getting it.
Plus even people trying to keep them off cant follow the instructructions so not counting day 1 and then not doing the second test.

It might be Public Health advice if the school has an outbreak. We were advised to reinstate discontinued measures when we reported multiple cases.

Just lie and said tested. Hardly anyone I know is now testing anyway

@NeverForgetYourDreams

Just lie and said tested. Hardly anyone I know is now testing anyway

Well that's just excellent advice. Really helpful to schools trying desperately to get to the exam season with as many left standing to teach and to learn as possible.

‘Just lie’ - sterling parenting there. What an amazing example you are to your dc. Well done!

Thanks :-)

The lying parents are probably the ones who send their children in after a bout of D&V forgetting to tell the school about it as it is within 48 hour window

I don't understand why Living with Covid for most means staying home only if unwell but going to work if it no more than a cold or maybe just having a couple of days off yet the teaching profession have to take longer off. Not a dig at teachers themselves but those making the school rules which I assume is Dept of Education? It doesn't line up with the government policy on living with Covid.

@NeverForgetYourDreams

The DFE sets the guidelines for schools.

In real life I don’t know anyone (not just those working in schools) who have gone to work with covid. My friend works for an estate agent and he’s off with covid, another friend works for a bank and she’s told not to go in, British Gas - could go on and on

Fair enough

I don't know anyone who has had Covid since the rules relaxed re isolating but assumed that people were following guidelines which said don't have to isolate

Isn't the education guidelines more than general work guidelines though ? I mean there is a set time frame isn't there rather than just 'when you feel better'?

@NeverForgetYourDreams

Yea 2 negative LFTs day 5&6 or wait til day 10

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@NeverForgetYourDreams

Yea 2 negative LFTs day 5&6 or wait til day 10[/quote]
So completely different to the general guidelines then that I just read on the govt website. Interesting. Wonder if it makes a difference to the spread - if it did then wouldn't we all have to still do the same ? Which is right?

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@NeverForgetYourDreams

Yea 2 negative LFTs day 5&6 or wait til day 10[/quote]
Thanks for the info

It's the guidance from the link you're sent when reporting a positive test.

"If you have COVID-19, you can infect other people for up to 10 days from when your symptoms start. Many people will no longer be infectious to others after 5 days.

You can do a rapid lateral flow test from 5 days after your symptoms started (or from the day you had the test if you do not have symptoms) and another the next day.

If both tests are negative and you do not have a high temperature, you're less likely to pass COVID-19 to others and you can go back safely to your normal routine.

If your test result is positive on day 5, you can carry on doing rapid lateral flow tests every day until you get 2 negative test results in a row."

So not completely different - the same, in fact.

@Feenie

So not completely different - the same, in fact.

Yes, but the truth doesn't fit in with the "slacker teacher" narrative.

Keep trying the gov website

COVID is rife here and also in our family and I had no trouble ordering lfts online. They were delivered the next day. I ordered on Sunday they arrived yesterday.

@RocketFire7

Totally unacceptable on the let of the school. I suspect it will be down to a union rep or similar trying to find enough cases to close the school.

No, it's trying to minimise disruption to GCSE students and keep as many of them as possible in school.

Even though the it’s stopped being a legal requirement the guidance for mainstream and general public is stay at home and test days 5&6 before returning to normal activities (or day 10 if still testing positive). Expecting a change on Friday when free testing etc ends.

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@Feenie

Aren’t your union reps down at the pub right this min making a plan to close your school Monday as Monday looks sunny. We are thinking of having an extra long weekend and blaming covid!![/quote]
We all know teachers only work half days. Added to that they are allowed to choose which 12 hours they work at the weekend FFS.

You are slipping Feenie. You could have had several strike days planned by now... especially with the improvement of long range weather forecasts

😆😆😆

@handmademitlove

Schools can still order tests so ask the school to provide them. They gave the capability to do so.

They cant. Or of so very few arrive. My school has tried and for all our staff group got 30 tests and I think that stops on Friday

DS is autistic and lying makes him anxious so that was never really an option. However, after much nagging by me, he asked his form tutor for a box of tests. He ended up getting 2 boxes and he also tested negative on the last day he had to test so we are all good. I didn't mind testing him, and with his gcse's coming up anything that will help keep covid under control at school has got to be a good thing.