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.

People never distinguish between the different teaching unions either. <sigh>

@noblegiraffe

I would be strongly opposed to at least 2 of those measures. Lateral flow testing isn’t available anywhere else, so why on earth should they be offered in schools. It would mean millions of healthy children off school and be a godsend to the hypochondriacs.

DC should never have been wearing masks and the idea they should do so now 3 years into this with the vulnerable having had 4 vaccines is bonkers.

Oh, and stop tagging me thanks.

Lateral flow testing isn’t available anywhere else, so why on earth should they be offered in schools

I suspect that many people think that it is completely stupid that LFTs aren't available anywhere else, so using the lack as an argument against them in schools isn't the most convincing

DC should never have been wearing masks

The letter asks for updated guidance. The government have introduced masks in schools (in corridors but not in classrooms, in classrooms, then not at all, with bizarre timings) and the guidance on when to introduce measures is bollocks. A rewrite is definitely needed.

@noblegiraffe - do you know if they have received a response?

You don't need to tag me!

I would hazard a guess as to god no they're too busy writing guidance about toilets.

Sorry! Thanks

@twinkletoesimnot

*And is that more important than keeping kids as healthy as possible and schools open?

Parents that are already struggling will not want to have to homeschool for a few days if their child's class closes.

Staffing will be under even more pressure now school budgets will also be massively affected by the energy crisis*

Actually yes.

The cost of living crisis is a greater risk than Covid now.

You know things have moved on now, right?

Covid is endemic now. Just like other diseases.

I honestly think some people miss the pandemic and want to wallow in it forever.

Some people think covid is over and it's not 🤷‍♀️

Me too. They're the ones that want to do sod all to help genuinely live with it. It's a bit like another crisis coming along and people refusing to do anything about the cost of living crisis.

Lateral flow testing had a role to play pre-vaccine (in fact, more use of it should have been made imo to keep society and the economy open).

But we cannot and should not be funding testing and staying at home indefinitely for a virus that will not cause serious harm for the vast majority.

We also cannot afford to have DC who are not ill at home again because of positive tests.

People trying to pretend that the new normal should just be the old normal are ignoring the fact that attempting to pretend that the old normal is just fine right now is actually causing loads of kids to miss school.

Attendance is well down on pre-covid.

We also cannot afford to have DC who are not ill at home again because of positive tests.

The letter, by the way, says access to free tests. Not routine testing.

Which would result in DC of lockdown fanatics and hypochondriacs at home missing school unnecessarily.

I can see that you’d prefer schools closing due to staffing shortages or children missing school due to illness rather than considering any measures to limit the spread.

Why are you so in favour of school closures and pupil absence?

Struggling with your terminology. When you say 'lockdown fanatic' or 'hypochondriac', are you referring to those who would choose to keep their kids off if positive or something else?

What do you mean by endemic, @MajorCarolDanvers ?

@BeenToldComputerSaysNo

I’m referring to those who would be constantly testing their DC even with no symptoms and not ill and looking to keep them off school in the event of a positive test.

This.

The government could find the money if they chose to. Google what they spend on defence… Yes defence is important but so is children’s health and education.

Why would this fictional parent need a positive test to keep a well kid off school?

Schools don’t ask to see tests, you know.

At this point in time, the people who want closed schools and kids at home are the ones who refuse to countenance any possible scheme to lessen covid spread in schools.

What has actually closed schools in the last year and a half is not the teaching unions but covid.

Would that be the last year and a half where (in Scotland) all windows and doors were open, at least 50% of time was spent outside, children were still bubbled at break and lunch, all teachers were wearing masks, 80-90% of the population was vaccinated, tests were free and readily available, and infectious children were sent home?

Where we basically did everything that list is demanding - at great expense - and it didn't seem to make a jot of difference compared to England who were following the "let it rip" policy?

Who are these 'they' advocating for regular lockdowns? The only people I see banding on about it are the ones opposed to considering any kind of precaution which would reduce the impact of Covid. Some of those proposals might be sensible, some not. Nobody is advocating what you are talking about.

Do you have the data for Scotland, remiss?