UEA (2019) dealing with the unexpected and on to 2nd Year

[juicy0]

New thread for the parents of 2019 freshers. Thank you all for sticking around!
At the start of the year we never would have guessed the topics that are currently being discussed in this page but I'm grateful we still have each other to help navigate our way through this with our DC.
With the emptying of 1st year rooms seemingly on hold for many until the end of lockdown our thoughts will soon turn to 2nd year accommodation and whether term is likely to start as normal in September.

@MrsBartlet

I fear this will just be the start of it. I can see this happening to many of them repeatedly ie they will come out of isolation and then go to a seminar and someone there will have a positive test and they will be back in isolation again. What a strange term it will be!

If they have had it why would they get tested again, you do know the test can pick up dead virus from the last dose they had.

Look this virus is tearing through students like the fire of London, once it is exhausted run out of victims, the figures will fall in uni. cities. But of course the government will call a lockdown now and then brag in a few weeks that lockdown brought them down.

@Cafeconleche

DS’s flat has another few days of SI and then they’re ‘free’ - until the next time.... Tho surely if the whole flat has had to SI (and all of them have had Covid symptoms, even tho only 3 came back with positive test results) they shouldn’t have to go through this again if they come into contact with another positive case? It would be useful if there was a reliable antibody test which they could take.

DS also had a call from someone at track and trace who noted his symptoms and asked for the details of anyone else he had come in contact with. Which was no one apart from his flat mates.

FWIW, Morrison’s had a load of slots for deliveries so they didn’t have to rely on overpriced university meals being dropped off.

The only thing that’s really bothered them is that you are ONLY allowed to leave the flat for some fresh air (10m maximum and socially distancing) IF you are a smoker

Frankly if you have had covid why get retested?

@justasking111 DS was tested 2 weeks ago and it came back negative. He then came down with symptoms 5 days later and couldn’t get another test. 3 of his flat mates tested positive last week so the whole flat had to go into SI, and they’ve all now had symptoms to a lesser or greater degree.

Even tho NHS track and trace confirm he’s almost certainly had Covid, he hasn’t got a ‘record’ of a positive test. Hence my question about an antibody test. If he and the other 6 in the flat who didn’t have positive test results (but did then develop symptoms and have been told to SI for 14 days) come in contact with someone else who tests positive, will they have to go through the whole 14-day quarantine again?

But they were saying on tv that they've had people test positive with covid with symptoms. Then test negative a few months later, then have caught it again testing positive a few months later. So it seems you can get it twice. They've also said antibodies are gone out the system 3 months later.

That's what the chap from UEA was saying. We can't get herd immunity. Though of course, that's only his opinion.

Or should I say... you can get it more than once.

On the BBC today they are reporting that 3 UEA students held a party for 100 people on Saturday night in Bowthorpe Road whilst they were supposed to be self isolating. DS has heard they kept the whole street awake with the noise. They have been fined £10, 000 each . Personally I hope UEA sends them all down too. What idiots.

@sluj yes just watched on bbc look east. 3 20 year olds have been fined £10,000 each after neighbours reported them. Apparently the hosts had already been told to isolate.

Oh dear re those UEA students - how foolish of them. Yes, they do deserve to be sent down too for their irresponsible behaviour. Although I doubt that residents in the road were at risk (as reported in an article I read) unless out partying with them.

DS actually lives a few doors down but wasn't there that weekend fortunately. His housemates say it was horrendously loud and kept them all awake. There was an interview with an elderly couple who are also neighbours. DS has met these elderly neighbours who he said were very nice and welcoming, he is now hoping that they won't assume that his house was also at the party and kept everyone awake. I think he feels students will get a bad name in the community if they act like this.

DD4 almost lost her school placement (PGCE) because parents complained about a student in school. £10k each for them as individuals, but the whole UEA student community has been hurt as well.

Just popping by to say hello and hope that everyone and their DC are all okay?

DD has had a 'sub-bubble' of her year group sent home as someone tested positive .

Don't think DS has done a test yet but sure he won't unless he absolutely needs to (that's us and going to the GP's all over!). Think he's leading a quiet life though.

DS2 had a test as he knew someone who knew someone who tested positive - his came back negative

Hello from Canada 👋 I realise this is probably the middle of the night for you guys.
I've done my quarentine, but unfortunately Montreal is a red zone (like tier 3) all restaurants/bars closed, take away only, no households mixing and we can't travel anywhere. Obviously a bit restrictive, but nothing worse than some areas of the UK (although the numbers here are much lower).
My DS in Bournemouth is waiting to see if his next door neighbor/friends get positive test results (one of their GF tested positive) if they do he will get tested (although he thought he had it when he came home in March).
A few in DS2 Norwich house have been tested but so far no positive results. He was pleased tonight as they went to a pub for a Star Wars quiz and came first winning £100 behind the bar (not great for DS as he doesn't drink but he's happy for his friends).
The online tuition isn't working well for either of mine.
DS1 says remote art teaching is really not good, they've made weird single person booths in the studio spaces, they used plywood, so you can't even see out, and you zoom the lecturer from your booth if you need help, the students are finding it very difficult.
DS2 is also really struggling, his motivation is really low and he's finding it hard to keep on top of everything.
Tricky supporting them from afar, but it's hard for so many people at the moment, I feel like my backpack is locked away and out of reach for now, so they just have to get on with it (or not)!

Good morning @Itscoldouthere (or evening to you probably) great to hear from you. I hope you are settling in. Not much fun if everything is shut though. That is good about the Star Wars quiz...ds would have liked that. I wonder if he knew about it. He's a bit of a Star Wars geek, he was born on Star Wars day too! I hope ds at UEA keeps up with the course this time. It's extra hard for them all this year. I'm glad they are in houses rather than halls. They are getting some f2f time at least. It must be hard from so far away.

The local news said that covid cases are doubling faster here in east anglia than anywhere else in the country. So I'm sure it will hit them all in Norwich at some point. Though we are still much lower than up north.

@icanbewhatiwant haha May 4th Birthday for your DS then ☺️
Both mine have been big Star Wars fans all their lives and I'm sure that won't change. I don't know where the quiz was other than in a pub, one of DS housemates must have found out about it as DS doesn't really go to pubs very often (although I know he's been and likes the Belgian beer pub in town think its called The Monk or Hungry Monk?).
I'm not sure how my DS is going to do with his course, it's not started well unfortunately, I'm hoping he can get back on track but if he doesn't get himself in a better place soon we may have some difficult decision ahead....
But hey, the road with both my DS have certainly not been straight, so my experience tells me you have to be open to plans changing and this Covid shitshow has made that even more relevant!
It's the most glorious sunny day here in Montreal, very welcome after 3 grey rain days, the autumn leaf colour is so spectacular, one has to embrace the small stuff 🤗

@Itscoldouthere I hope ds can get back on track. What will your ds's do for Christmas? Stay with family?

@icanbewhatiwant Christmas is tricky, unfortunately they can't come to Canada.
Current plans is they will stay in their houses, try and get together at some point (DS2 has a car so he could drive them) at one or other of their houses.
They may spend Christmas day with a friend who has same aged DC in Cambridgeshire, it will all depend on the rules at the time as my friend works in NHS so complies with all rules.
It's going to be weird for sure, we can't travel outside of Montreal at the moment so we may just have to stay here, DH has 20 days holiday to take by end of the year, but he's so busy and we can't go anywhere, so it looks like hell loose some of it.

@Itscoldouthere good to hear that you are settling back into life in Canada, although a great pity about the restrictions, particularly if the weather is currently nice (more than can be said for here - constant rain over the past 48 hours!).

Sorry to hear that your DS2 is having a wobble again :-(. I hope UEA are providing support this time around? Is it the study, the modules he's doing or is he just finding it all a bit too much generally?

Well done to him and his flatmates for winning a bar tab of £100! I don't think DS would do well that well on a Star Wars centric quiz. He knows a lot about NFL though (he is obsessed with it!).

@Itscoldouthere a very different Christmas for you all this year. At least both your ds's can get together. I do think it might be a different Christmas for lots of people this year. Thank goodness there are other ways to stay connected too.

I'm trying not to think as far ahead as Christmas yet - I've just seen that the Govt is introducing a Tier4 status - it just goes from bad to worse, doesn't it?

Thankfully still tier one here in east anglia. I can't see it staying that way though. They said on the local news that cases are doubling here faster than anywhere else.

To be honest I started thinking about Christmas back in August before my DH returned to Canada, so we all talked it through then. I realise it was unlikely that the border restrictions would change so had to consider being apart.
I'm glad we did as it was prior to all these tiers/lockdown etc being put in place, so I've got my head around it now, in some ways it's easier than not knowing, I'm sure there will be lots of drama to come for people trying to work out if they can stick with the rules or not.
I'm sure I will feel a bit sad when the time comes, but as long as the DC get some plans together I'm sure they will be fine. I would have loved to have spent Christmas with my friends when I was at uni as going home was always rather underwhelming, so I'm kidding myself that they will feel the same!
DS1 said his neighbors all tested negative, so they don't have to isolate which is good.
It's another beautiful day here, we are hoping to take the dog to a wood that you can apparently let them off lead at this time of year, that is one thing that's kind of frustrating, him having to be on lead all of the time, which is a whole city rule, we did try a dog park, but they are very small and of course full of dogs, all a bit much, but my dog is a whippet cross and likes to have the odd 5 minutes of zooming, I can tell he's missing it, he was bouncing all over the place on yesterday walk.
However the wood is an hour's walk from here so he may be tired once we get there ! No dogs allowed on public transport or taxis and we don't have a car, still it will hopefully make for a nice day out.

@Itscoldouthere it's been a lovely sunny day here in east anglia today too 😁 is that really a rule with dogs...no off the lead? Our older lab. mostly goes off the lead all the time. We have a footpath beside our house onto fields. I can imagine a whippet will need to run!

I think ds would probably prefer to be with housemates at Christmas than home with us. As long as they were all staying. But I expect they'll all go home.

@icanbewhatiwant yes dogs on leads at all times, you have to get a dog license here, dogs have to be microchipped and sterilized as well!!
We went to the off lead wood, but off lead starts at the beginning of November, so we had him on lead, but it was a long walk so he's now pooped, we also had to stop and buy him a jumper as the temperature really dropped and he was shivering, the wind was really cold, god knows how he's going to cope in the snow, he's furry on top but pretty bauld along his tummy.
We lived in London for the first two years we had him so he was used to going out on a lead, but then moved to a village in Bedfordshire so most of his walk were off lead so it is quite different here for him, mind you so is living in an apartment rather than a house !
Yes I'm hoping some others from DS house might stay for Christmas, but I suppose it will all depend on what restrictions are in place at the time, I'm sure most would choose to go home.

Students cannot get in and out of Wales now, road blocks, searching the trains, just praying that we get xmas if we are locked down now.