Coronavirus ROI/NI part 3

[YoungsterIwish]

The 3rd thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/craicnet/3874978-Coronavirus-in-ROI-NI-part-2?pg=40

Says the rest of the class won't be automatically tested, not that they won't be tested. Will be done based on risk assessment...I hope!

So if a child goes home symptomatic after 10 minutes in class on a Monday morning, in a SD, well ventilated classroom...maybe only his table will be tested? As no other contact in the 48 hours before symptoms.

Whereas if the social butterfly of the non-sd junior classroom, who plays with everyone, is symptomatic on a Friday afternoon, maybe then the whole class is tested. And hopefully they follow through on the more child friendly testing methods (e.g.saliva)

I think there is a difference between a child going home with symptoms, and a child having a positive test. I can imagine a fair few teenagers thinking it's funny to cough in class and announce they've lost their sense of taste, for example. It wouldn't be right to send the entire year group home.

The original guidelines I read (might have been UK) mentioned that 2 children actually testing positive in a group would mean the entire group being sent home to isolate is probably the way to go. There seems to be a lot of inconclusive tests or wrong results, but 2 definite positive tests should be enough to kick in an full emergency response.

That would be for secondary (larger groups). In primary I would have thought a single positive test (not symptoms) should result in isolation for the whole class.

I really feel for working parents. They will need understanding employers as their children go in and out of school like yo-yos.

Is it true that if there is a case in the class that the parents of the other children in the class won't he told ?
Won't that put vulnerable members of the other children's family at serious risk ?

Yes, it would, LadyEloise. I'm not certain about it. I enclose the extract from the document.

I can't speak for schools but I can say that in my preschool setting if a child tests positive I will be informing the parents without naming the child/family.
As I am in a school I will also be telling the principal and as with all infectious diseases cases I have to inform Tulsa.

My youngest is in a small primary school (210 students). Word would get round if we had a positive case.

There's no way it could be kept a secret in most Irish schools (nor should it be).

IsFuzzyBeagMise* does the beginning of that document refer to children being sent home with symptoms, or to children having positive tests? I think they need to be clear with instructions for both scenarios as they are obviously different but seem to be getting confused.

I'm nostalgic for the old days when Leo stood up and told us what to do It all seems so wishywashy now.

It's about managing symptoms unless/until it's a positive case. It's a HSE matter once a confirmed case arises. I can see where they are coming from but it's a massive issue for children and families with a high-risk profile.

I enclose part one. Lots of underlining and bold print because it's a Very Serious Document.

Yes. The earlier days of lockdown were much more straightforward.

It makes the not note days seem straightforward.
I want Leo and Simon to do the talking even if they aren't in charge.

@Quarterback11

Says the rest of the class won't be automatically tested, not that they won't be tested. Will be done based on risk assessment...I hope!

So if a child goes home symptomatic after 10 minutes in class on a Monday morning, in a SD, well ventilated classroom...maybe only his table will be tested? As no other contact in the 48 hours before symptoms.

Whereas if the social butterfly of the non-sd junior classroom, who plays with everyone, is symptomatic on a Friday afternoon, maybe then the whole class is tested. And hopefully they follow through on the more child friendly testing methods (e.g.saliva)

@Quarterback11 Yes as I said, not automatically considered a close contact, therefore not automatically tested.

Seems strange to have a different definition of close contacts in schools, where the majority of schools will be small & not necessarily well ventilated etc, once the cold weather hits.

Close contact
This is only a guide but close contact can mean:
spending more than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of an infected person in any setting
living in the same house or shared accommodation as an infected person
sitting within 2 seats of an infected person, in any direction, on an airplane
Spending more than 2 hours in a closed space with an infected person will sometimes count as close contact. This could be an office or a classroom

HSE link for close contact definition

www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/close-contact-and-casual-contact.html

This has been a nightmare this morning. Kids couldn't get a place on the bus as it was full with everyone back to school and workers, last week was fine as they were staggering them back, waited over an hour and then lots of shoving and pushing when next bus came an hour later which resulted in them being late for school. Now just got a text from one ds school to say one child removed from his class as they were coughing and to ensure that no one is sent in with a cough, practice safe hygiene etc that other children will remain in class room and if they show any signs to get a test and keep them home. Now I'm sitting here wondering wtf have I sent my kids into? I've come to realise that this is just one big experiment, the school don't know really how this is all going to pan out, and I've just sent my kids into the unknown.

Oh god @Lipz that's awful, so stressful on top of the 'usual' getting to school on time stress.

Our school aren't doing staggered times, but have various entrance points assigned to different classes. Which sounded good on paper/email but in reality it was a nightmare. There were over 400 pupils standing on the footpaths this morning (not counting parents too) waiting to get into their gate. So much traffic around. It's a town (not in Dublin) and the roads and footpaths around the school are narrow. There were kids (and parents) everywhere and then the traffic was so busy, then a bin lorry and a truck came along!! All I could think was health & safety!! They'll have to change it or a child will be hurt, there's just too many of them to be lining up all around the roads.

Schools will have to watch how things are this week and make changes where needed otherwise it's just not going to work.

Just add rain to that mix LifeInAHamsterWheel and it will be horrendous.

Hi Lipz, that sounds very stressful. As if it isn't hard enough in ordinary times.
We are relying on parents to be responsible and not send their child in with a cough. We are also relying on them to get their child tested if there is cause for concern.
I was reading during the weekend that the virus could go round a classroom by stealth until there is a confirmed case.
LifeInAHamsterWheel, that does sound dangerous. I wonder if staggered times might work out better for your school?
Our primary school is next door to a big secondary school and it gets very busy, road is a bottleneck, narrow paths and no guided crossing for the students

Absolutely @LadyEloise and I'm sure we won't have to wait long for a wet morning!

School just this minute sent an email and it says "thank you to everyone for co-operating with our drop-off and collection procedures. Everything went very smoothly and any changes needed are small and manageable" - eh I don't think so!! Although maybe it is just a small change that's needed. I'm going to observe for this week and then contact the school next week if I'm still concerned. It's a fine line, I don't want to be that parent but at the same time...

@LifeInAHamsterWheel that's mad and so dangerous, Crazy your the school sending that email, this is what will happen, it'll be chaos but they'll pretend all is OK and the parents that don't see the chaos will believe them.

@IsFuzzyBeagMise I was under the impression that we keep them home with a cough but this is what is making me anxious, parents not abiding by the rules.

I assume its not a yearly cough as they wouldn't have removed the student.

There's a local primary next to us, it was like normal times, but there seemed to be more cars and alot more parents standing around all chatting.

Last week our schools brought them in different days, different times, different years in the school but today it was everyone in, all the same time, different entrances but all on the same buses, all walking the same street together in groups, all in the main gate together. Gangs of teenagers who will get caught up in chatting and seeing their friends etc

One of my ds has just text me to say he's about 50th in the bus line to come home, I could fucking cry, they're running half capacity so god only knows what time they'll be home, I know they're secondary and I don't want to baby them but I am so annoyed at how no planning has gone in to people who live outside big cities.

You are right @Lipz. That's exactly right. It's in the guidelines and parents should abide by it. I think that schools will be strict and ask for the child to be collected. They know what's at stake.

That's what I what do @LifeInAHamsterWheel. Observe for a few days, but I would be that parent if it came to it.

It's disgraceful really that the whole transport issue wasn't sorted out. All well and good now when the weather is fine and the novelty is still there, but in few weeks when it's cold and wet and they've had a full day of school to be left standing at a bus stop for god knows how long is just not good enough.

We are the second small town on a bus route to the city. In the morning buses are now filled by adults and school kids by the time they arrive here. So adults can't get to work, students can't get to school, and third level isn't back. The bus serves three hospitals on the way to the city.
Without about five times the number of buses, I'm not sure what can be done.

Mine still aren't home :( they eventually got a bus but are still on it, probably be after 7pm when they get in, they're up since 6am. All the buses were full., drivers shouting at the kids that they couldn't get on, buses driving by. Fuckin disgrace.

My God, Lipz and eggandonion. What the actual...!!!

They arrived in about 10 mins ago, they're showering and changing, thankfully I did a big roast dinner as they're all starving. Even more mad thing, 3 out of the 4 got homework 😒🙄😬😔😡😠🤬 there's not enough emojis as to how I feel. I'm not sending them tomorrow.

The poor things. That is just not feasible. And homework?! If I were you, Lipz, I would be looking up the Liveline number.

Jesus Lipz that's horrendous. I was loving have the school to myself over the summer. First day back and the principal torn strips off me. (She is not my employer)
A delivery came, a huge delivery that I had no control over. Now I wasn't letting the man into the building but she freaked. Told me I was putting everyone at risk. Am I missing something here? I thought you had to be in close contact with someone for 15mins or more. I dont understand why people or parents aren't allowed on to the huge grounds. All summer parents were collecting children from the back door. She yelled at me for that too.
I ended up ringing my boss saying I couldnt stay on if she was going to talk to me like that. (I felt so silly for saying that. Too old to be behaving like that)
Now I didn't stand there and take it, I argued back, I stood my ground. She threw in a few other stupid things.
Anyway I could go on put I've unloaded enough.
Seriously though, are other schools letting parents onto the school grounds just not into the school? In hind sight the delivery was at a bad time but not for Covid reasons.

@IsFuzzyBeagMise good idea might do that.

@Iblinkedandiamold that's awful, there's no need to speak to you like that. I get everyone is stressed and we're all doing things differently but she could have been kinder. There's so many different rules it's hard to know what's right.

The kids were telling me no one on the bus had masks, no students or other passengers, that's great.

Thankfully the weather was nice today, although they were sweating buckets. It'll be a right nightmare in the rain and cold.

They're all in bed... Lol I'm sitting here with dh and we're like wtf, this can't go on.. I went on bus eireann fb page, was going to write something but it looks like everyone is complaining.

My 4 kids sat together, the driver said they had to separate, don't understand this at all, that was a real waste of seats, I understand the driver doesn't know who's family but shouting at them!!! Then they said as soon as the driver moved off loads moved seats and sat together, they said the driver turned the heating on full blast, and it roasting out. I get teens can be annoying but jesus, what I'm hearing from them some is ott from the driver, although sometimes I feel like putting all mine in the street lol

Definitely keeping them off tomorrow, have emailed all the schools, bus eireann, minister for education and a few other ministers that I found their email addresses. Nothing will be done or changed, I'll be ignored.