Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): online learning, the rule of six and who knows what's next? Anything could happen!

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Following on from the previous thread as our young adults start their second year at universities up and down the land (and some overseas too!).

Great idea @littleowl1 thanks.

@littleowl1
I've got my region, my parents' region and dd1's uni region and it's really helpful. I can't say reassuring unfortunately because ours is by far and away the lowest, but it's great information.
Thank you.

Just heard that covid is in one of the halls at Northumbria University. A couple of girls that DD went to school with are ill

Dd downloaded the Covid App yesterday, went shopping to get dettol spray and got a text today to say she’d been possibly exposed to Covid! The App had ‘assessed the date, duration and signal strength of this exposure’. No further details. Can’t click on any links. So she has no idea what’s going on. We agreed with the rates in Newcastle so high at the moment, she’s probably get that message each time she walked up and down her road and into Northumberland Street!

@Ginfordinner loads in Leeds DS halls, no publicity, perhaps worried about local lynchings

@simbobs one of DD’s modules has ALL the lectures uploaded to Moodle already so she could effectively binge watch them all and be done and dusted 😐. She has made a timetable for herself for exactly the reasons you point out : they need some routine and structure to maintain mental health in my view

@justasking111 3 halls at DD’s uni has cases but they are taking sensible approach and just asking the relevant flats to isolate. Not making a massive song and dance about it like MMU. They have a test centre on campus which also helps!

haha

Thank god for that @VanCleefArpels and @justasking111

Mine are back in their uni houses but neither course starts till Monday and no news about covid hitting them yet

...Dd just got another ‘you have possibly been exposed to Covid’ text. Again, no follow up or instructions or way to find out if she’s got to isolate. She doesn’t even know if this is a repeat of the first message or a second ‘close encounter’. How many close encounters make a whole?! There are several students isolating in the street. She did wonder, because they are all terrace houses, if that affects the locality bit. She is carrying on as normal til she’s definitely told to isolate but got a supermarket delivery just in case!

Zanda, DH and I both got a notification from the Test and Trace app on our return from Newcastle at the weekend. It just flashed up then disappeared. I asked on another thread and got this very helpful reply

And for you @LaBelleSauvage123:

I get notifications which then disappear - what's going on?

A number of people have reported getting notifications about exposure to the virus and then not being able to find out what they need to do next.

Some are confused because of the way they are written - including the phrase "exposure date, duration and signal strength have been saved".

It appears that this again may be connected to the Apple-Google system, which sometimes sends out what are called exposure notifications. Here's what the FAQ from the app team says about this issue:

"These are default messages from Apple and Google. There is no need to be concerned if you miss or overlook them, they are just visible to remind you that the functionality is on and working. You're currently not able to turn off these default Apple and Google notifications.

"Important messages from the NHS Covid-19 app will always be visible to you from inside the app."

LaBelle thanks for this. DD’s messages don’t disappear but she’s been investigating and it appears it’s a complete mess with some older people unduly scared getting these messages. It does sound similar - these are the ones...

Yes that’s the one we got but as a notification.

Thanks. So far lots of friends of friends of Dd are positive. So friends isolating. And they are ok at the moment. They did a mercy shopping drop for friends earlier.

DS is so lucky in that his whole flat seemed to have gelled quickly and are happy to socialise together. Relieved as I found out yesterday that Shieldfield, where Turner Court is, has the highest infection levels in Newcastle.

Goodness, that sounds bad LaBelleSauvage123.
I hope no-one gets seriously ill.

I agree. I’m fully expecting him to get it, to be honest, but just hope it’s a mild case.

Latest update is that two out of the four flats on DS’s floor are in isolation, after only 3 or 4 days at university. He woke up coughing this morning but it went off later - we had a zoom call with him and he seemed happy, but obviously a bit concerned about his cough and the proximity of people with the virus. He’ll book in for a test tomorrow if the cough comes back or he develops any other symptoms.

I hope he is OK. It is a horrible start to university. I spoke to DD earlier, and one of her houseshare friends is getting a covid test. They have all been pretty good about not mixing though.

Yes DS and his flat have been too. There’s been a couple of big parties broken up elsewhere in the student village though.

One of DD's houseshare friends has tested positive. DD says that the girl had symptoms 5 days ago, and she thinks they all have it anyway now, so they are going to isolate for a couple of weeks.

I would love to think that they get it lightly and it confers some kind of immunity. Term hasn't started yet, so if they are ill I'd like to think they are well enough by the time term starts.

Gin I think they are all sitting ducks living in Jesmond. It does feel a bit weird - like letting them climb trees when they’re little. Part of you is thinking - well done, figure this out - and the other is positioning yourself underneath them so you’ll break their fall. But now you can’t be there to be underneath them.
Right that’s enough philosophising! I do agree a mild dose now is probably the ‘ideal’ before flu bugs start doing the round.

That's a good analogy Zanda.
I hope your other daughter is keeping well.

The worst thing about this testing positive and isolating for two weeks is that it is not a get out of jail card. No-one will say well you have had it so get on with your life you are just as helpless as if you have not had it.

Agree @simbobs these 2 week isolations will be repeated if the students have any outside contacts and even if these are safely limited, housemates can get symptoms or test positive and back we go again. DD currently isolating and awaiting test results having had to travel from Liverpool to North Wales to be tested - the irony of entering Wales from a very high prevalence area was not lost on her but earliest test via uni was 5 days away🙄