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!).

@simbobs, hope it’s just a mild case, which it seems to be for most people especially the young.

@Witchend, do they have data on how long immunity lasts now?

@Canklesforankles, yes, we could have houseparties

I think immunity may last only 4 months but so much is uncertain

@bigTillyMint

It does seem to vary, I think the shortest time they have between two confirmed infections is 48 days, but 3-4 months seems more common.
Dd1's just done an antibody test, as she was randomly assigned one. We were pretty certain she hadn't been infected unless it was at Durham before she came home in March, and indeed, she's negative.

Ds would be more interesting to do as he had a cough and a fever a week before they started telling people to isolate with those symptoms, and he gave it to me (unusual) and dd2 was feeling unwell too (even less usual), but dd1 wasn't home then.

simbobs - sorry to hear that but sounds like mild symptoms typical in young adults. I've only read of one case of reinfection - he was very ill first time and asymptomatc second time. I suspect more reinfection data will be gathered over the next few months.

DS has enjoyed being in Durham for the past month having the house to himself and meeting up with friends and making new ones. Two of his housemates have now moved into the house and it's apparently a lot more messy. Gutted for them Durham is caught up in the NE lockdown - Durham itself has a tiny number of cases but seems to be sandwiched in between hotspots.

It won't have a tiny number for long if my DD's experience is anything to go by. She is ultra cautious and not a social animal. 6 months at home and she was fine, less than 2 weeks in Newcastle... Part of me is glad that she has it and I hope it does confer a reasonable period of immunity but her cousin has had it twice already (confirmed by tests both times) and is a healthcare worker. DH and his brother have had another supposedly once-in-a-lifetime illness more than once also; I don't think they do immunity very well in that part of the family.

Now DS should by rights have caught it as he is very sociable. I just hope he waits until he is back at uni (1 week and counting) before succumbing.

Yes most people don't know anyone else but most do end up living with other first years together so all in the same boat and the same stage. All I know so far is in her flat she is with two pair grad students and one second year.

And how many move in during a time when no ones is supposed to enter their household? I mean are we supposed to send her off in her own now with no one to help move stuff in?

She's been in contact with the second year student and met one of the post grad briefly. Knows nothing if the other. The block actually has a great mix in and she has chatted with those more, and they've had a couple of nights out planned but now advised not to be mixing with them.

Though the meeting others outside your household but away from your home and garden is only advised, not 'must not' so I guess they could meet up elsewhere still.

I'm sure all will be well in the end but tbh after everything else (not just Covid, exams and lock downs but also three close family deaths, so many missed and cancelled plans, and not being able to see family) it's all just a bit much right now. Think this was just the final straw for me yesterday! Obviously I've not said anything to Dd about how it's making me feel.

Simbobs- hope you're Dd feels ok

@Aragog, that’s so tricky if they are advised not to meet up with others outside their household. Surely safeguarding MH of students who need to make new friends is also important. I hope they find ways of doing this.
Has the uni got advice on its website about helping her to move in? Or sent out emails? Surely one parent would be allowed to help?

Bigtilly - not yet, only to say that university will remain open. Her accommodation isn't covered by the university as it's a private rental - but there's been no change to their halls advise afaik. Think that was time slots and one adult in the building with the student at any one time.

I do worry about dd as she's been through so much since April with close family passing away, not being allowed the normal grieving processes, dealing with so much disappointment through missed birthday celebrations, end of school celebrations, normal sixth form finishing stuff, exam mess ups, cancelled driving tests and so much. We already broke the rules in the end so she could see her boyfriend as it was just one step too far to expect them to keep apart beyond several weeks.

She's normally so relaxed and happy, and with a sensible strong head on her shoulders. But it does feel like a sparks gone over recent times. Hopefully once she settles in to university life, whatever that may be like, it will return once more.

And some advise will be broken regardless. She will head home after a week for her grandad's birthday meal (he died early in in April and this is instead of a wake/,Earl at the time which wasn't possible) and she will still come and see her boyfriend.

I am expecting to take DS back next weekend. It is always tricky moving in a load of bags, boxes and computers or musical equipment and one pair of hands is not always enough if you have a shortish time slot. It was well organised last year for us, but in those unis that used to have teams of sherpas that is no longer allowed. I am pretty sure that I will pop in and have a nose around if nothing else and will probably wear a mask.

I think if you’re wearing a mask and not standing close to and chatting with others, surely that’s limiting the spread whilst you move them in?

Thankfully DS is getting the train back on his own with a couple of bags of clothes as he moved all his stuff into his new house at the end of term. Just hoping we can go up and see him at half term. We can always take him for a picnic in the countryside if all else fails!

@Aragog your poor DD. I hope she settles in quickly and finds solace in new friends. My DS will expect to be able to see his gf but I'm not sure how that will work. In theory she could go to see him but should not go into his accommodation as there are already 7 living in the flat. Alternatively, he could go to her parental home but if two households are not allowed to mix, then they can't do that either. These youngsters will be living a strange life if they abide by every rule.

We had been intending to go and visit DD in a month or so but can't now due to restrictions in the local area. I hope she doesn't become properly ill with covid. I can cope with not going there if she only has loss of taste and smell.

@bigTillyMint if we are to believe what we read meeting members of other households inside or outside will be verboten so your picnic would be illegal 🤔

You are allowed to move house, so I don't see any issues with helping move students in.
Although in dd's house, it's unlikely there will be more than 6 at any one time.

Would bigTillymints’s picnic plan count as extended household? I’m in Wales though so things slightly different here depending on where you live.

Vancleef - the not mixing households outside of homes and gardens is only advised in the local restriction areas, rather than being in the law part.

Do to a 3 things in place in October we will have to treat Dd as not officially moving house until but before half term. And say she is only visiting the town for educational purposes. So her household remains ours but she spends 3-4 nights a week in her flat in order to attend university on the days it is face to face lessons.

She refuses point blank to not attend her granddads 'memorial' meal or her best friends birthday meal with our household and theirs before they can't meet up again. We have one other meet up for the scattering our her great grandparents ashes with close family too.

@simbobs I agree they won't follow every rule. If the pubs are closed and they can't mix households their world will become incredibly small for a prolonged period of time. Fine if you get on with your housemates but what if you don't? I pity this years freshers who haven't chosen who they live with as many of our D.C. have this year.
As for relationships, can we really ask our D.C. to stay in, have no social life and then ban them from seeing the bf/gf too? In terms of mental health alone I worry about what that will do to them.

Just had DD on the phone. she says that life in Newcastle isn't really going to change for her because she is living with her friendship group anyway. She is enjoying life at the moment, and I hope that she and all her friends, and all of our DC on here, friends and family stay healthy.

DD doesn't think her lifestyle will change much under the restrictions either. She's not a pub goer, and she's with 2 people none of whom are big socialisers, and doesn't think they'd be having many people back anyway.
Perhaps the biggest for her is that her boyfriend won't be able to stay over at present strictly speaking. However that wouldn't happen more than once a term due to distance anyway.
I suspect the one thing she will miss is the theatre-she'd done a bit of sound/lights at Durham and had some more booked for the summer term. I doubt that will happen.

I would be far more worried about it if she was a first year. It'll be fine for those who make friends anyway, but for someone who won't make the first step in a friendship, won't break a rule, and takes quite a time to warm to people, it would worry me that she would just never meet anyone.

@Aragog that’s good to know!

I feel so saad for this year's freshers. I have seen some heartbreaking posts on Facebook where posters DC have been the first ones to turn up to halls and they have been so lonely and homesick because they have no-one to talk to and nowhere to go because everything is closed.

I guess the problem is that if everyone takes the attitude that they 'just' need to do x, y and z then lock downs will be complete failures and it will be totally unfair to the people who have made the sacrifice and obeyed the rules. Lock down periods will be extended and have to be repeated
The majority of teens will have a bubble. A big bubble if they are freshers and in halls. Or if in other years a small bubble of people they chose it live with.

It's a total pain and deeply unfair, but it's the same for everyone

I agree about this year's freshers. DS went to pick up his key but not to actually move in, and he said that the place looked desolate, and this despite the fact that some of his flatmates had already moved in. Although he is living with a friendship group he will find it difficult to see no one other than them. Some of them sound rather undomesticated which will drive him mad, I think. It's different if only meeting socially.