Still no air filters in schools?

[wondersun]

Is anyone else really hacked off that there are still no air filters in schools??

The kids don’t spread it / don’t get sick from covid nonsense narrative has been replaced with cases are low due to school holidays (so much nicer when covid knew to wait at the school gates!) but the government are still refusing to do something so simple which could make schools safer.

Its like they don’t want to admit it’s worth avoiding repeat covid infections so therefore have to do nothing to stop/slow the thread and risk inevitable questions.

Even if it just slows it - every covid infection is a roll of long covid etc risks - why do they seem so keen to spread it round asap.

I’d rather the government gave schools enough money to pay their energy bills and wages. Or just enough to buy glue sticks! Air filters would be waaaaaay down the list of priorities.

I can’t see the point. Open the windows and spend the money on something the school needs instead.

I think we need to rely on natural immunity. People had jabs, but it is known those are not fully effective. Fatalities amongst baby-boomers and older are to be expected, but we just need to get on with life. More people will have died due to lockdown than from Covid.

Last winter windows were open (if they could be opened) but heating on in schools. This year I assume windows will be open but the heating won’t be on or very low.

This suggestion, which is never going to happen btw, included 3 days in school plus two days remote learning. Many other spiteful people gleefully jumped to the conclusion that that would mean a 3 day payslip for teachers also, so don’t feel left out.

As I say, pie in the sky anyway.

Extra points for jumping at the chance to teacher bash on a thread that isn’t about teaching though.

That data is from way before the much more infectious mutations.

planes may have hepa filters but there aren’t many children travelling to school on them..

Exactly. I'm pretty interested in the air filter stuff because I loathed stuffy classrooms so much when I was a kid. But even coming from a generally sympathetic perspective to that particular intervention, it's pathetic when people make a claim that something's got loads of scientific evidence backing it but they can't manage to supply any.

To address the OPs point, I suspect most parents have bigger concerns than more covid at this point.

Exactly this. It’s bonkers not to mitigate our schools, unless the plan is to spread it…

Really weird how quickly “people@ jumped on to say can’t afford, no use, etc

Reminds me of Aug ‘20 on social media - lots of bots claiming kids can’t catch or transmit workers. Now people are so downtrodden the line seems to be how dare you believe / expect better for your kids

Im delighted about normality in school returning. Kids have to be exposed to germs. Sanitising the air we breathe and avoiding getting I'll now and then May lead to far more resistant bugs developing. We're a social animal and having a well developed immune system is essential. Let's stop messing with stuff we don't understand

Agree OP. It's bonkers. It does show how little we value educational staff and the next generation.

Um, have you thought that through?

That’s like saying we should remove seatbelts and rely on natural resilience - or we should stop filtering drinking water.

”Getting on with it” involves solving problems and moving on - not pretending they don’t exist and accepting abuse by neglect.

Is an article from the British Medical Journal, with links to academic research on the risk to children at the end, any good to you?

"Given the high transmissibility of COVID-19, especially the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 variants of 2022, combined with the risk to although a minority of children, we argue that policies to protect children should go beyond vaccination. We advocate for a major effort towards improving safety in schools, with investment in clean air, using enhanced ventilation by opening windows (where the climate permits) and filters as the main approach. These have been shown to reduce transmission markedly."

adc.bmj.com/content/early/2022/05/04/archdischild-2022-323839

Italian study shows ventilation in schools can cut Covid by 80%:

www.reuters.com/world/europe/italian-study-shows-ventilation-can-cut-school-covid-cases-by-82-2022-03-22/

I work at an average sized secondary- none of our windows open. Im sure this is the case for many.

If air purifiers (even the portable kind) would reduce the chance of teachers being off sick more often and therefore more expensive supply teachers being required, then surely there's a financial case for using them? That's without even getting to the general benefit for kids of them getting respiratory bugs less often. They don't have to 'solve covid' for the whole country to still have worthwhile benefits in the immediate locations where they're used.

Also I'm not sure the idea that we'd better not try to reduce pathogens in the air because our immune systems need to develop makes sense, any more than not bothering to remove faecal coliforms from drinking water would make sense.

So all those saying just open the windows, how does that look in winter when the school can't afford to have the heat on?

Is it fair on DC to have to try to learn while freezing cold?

That’s like saying we should remove seatbelts and rely on natural resilience

And that's like saying we should introduce seatbelts to sit on our sofas.

we argue that policies to protect children should go beyond vaccination.

But do make sure to take your seventh safe and effective vaccination anyway, folks!

Can we not move on to the energy crisis now? Or at least the war in Ukraine?

This too!

It seems nobody wants to hold their hands up and admit that infection doesn’t protect from future infection and that sickness costs money.

Its a shame that we have to wait for the cost of sickness and death to be monetised but that seems to be where we are.

Thanks for this. I found it astounding how people will just dismiss credible scientists. They’ve been ignored and watered down throughout the pandemic - despite what the politicians are currently crying in an attempt to re-write history.

This. There is no money for even lined paper in some schools.

Yep. It’s mind boggling. I think people just don’t want to accept that improvements need to be made and that the country is currently - massively - failing children, teachers, families and inevitably all of society. Nadhim Zahawi’s ex school has them…

It really does. Don’t worry though I’m sure the government is confident that the effects will impact on the individuals impacted and not their pockets.

Really? I had two significant outbreaks in my Y6 class this year and lost approximately two weeks of teaching time - in terms of children off and eventually me also. At least.

But you’re a teacher and couldn’t care less? I see.