Study in the time of COVID-19 (2019/20 intake): lockdown restrictions, relaxation of rules and repeat... And will the Grinch government cancel Christmas?

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

Carrying on from our previous thread.

I believe these threads have probably been running since the summer/autumn of when our DC were about to start/in Year 13 (so 2018)?

DD's school is planning to have most years (except 11s and 13s and then 12s) back in the first week with the rest of the school studying from home using Google Classroom. They seem to have have planned for this since mid-term so hopefully it will be as fully as immersive in-school experience as is possibe in the virtual!

I am still waiting for my covid test result from 23rd. I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to chase it up if I don't hear from them.
Our Christmas Day went very well until DS decided he was going to go out and meet a couple of friends, and then didn't come back. He had crashed at a friend's house, completely against the rules, and was unable to let me know as his phone was dead. I was about to ring the police!

Oh, the first sentence doesn't make sense. I mean the 'exam important' years are going back in the first week, with the others to follow soon after.

Changing the subject somewhat. I made sticky toffee pudding for lunch today. It is the lightest, yet moist and luscious dessert ever. I served it with clotted cream, and it was utterly delicious.

Stop it @ginfordinner. I am still full from lunch and you are making me want a pudding!

That looks delish @Ginfordinner (even though I'm not entirely keen on dates). Yum!

DH doesn't like dates, but they are a key ingredient in sticky toffee pudding. I blitzed them in my liquidiser, and you wouldn't know that the pudding contained dates at all. They add to the toffee taste.

I'm prepared to be converted @Ginfordinner .

Anyone read the telegraph the scientists want schools and universities lockdown until the end of January

Uni (Bath) wants returning students to have two negative tests, 3 days apart. They mention getting one done before returning, and the second to be booked on campus - before returning to study on site. Fair enough.

But reading the government pages, it says a school/education establishment asking for a test doesn’t qualify for free tests - so we have to buy a private one?

First - is that something they’d accept? Second, why are the universities asking for something they know isn’t availalbe to people - it’ll just get people like me confused about what to do?

He’s not in halls and won’t be on campus immediately for semester 2 so I’m thinking he can probably head down and do both tests with campus facilities, but it’d have to be during the break between exams and semester 2 which wouldn’t be ideal.

I know an advertising campaign from DfE was withdrawn because unis are concerned about the reliability of Lateral Flow tests.

DD’s Uni has set up a system for 2 tests (provided by them) in a window prior to scheduled first face to face session - so in practical terms staggering return. She will prob go back to her house prior to that but this system at the very least protects the staff on campus

Dd was offered one lateral flow test and she got the result as she was walking back to her flat. She had been keeping her distance from her flatmates a week beforehand (though the party girl told Dd to not come out of her bedroom and ‘wallow in her own s*’ when Dd had asked her to only use one of the bathrooms and/or stop partying for the week because of her home situation). Charming.
Dh picked up Dd as soon as she’d had the result, they both wore masks in the car and we kept our distance from her for a couple of days.
With this new strain being more infectious I don’t think this strategy will work. The lateral flow test is about 50% effective? So once Dd is up there, she’s up there. Any face-to-face doesn’t start until February at the earliest but I can imagine she’ll be climbing the walls staying here all January. The other flatmates are lovely but in a mixture of home situations/tiers so not sure what combination will be there.

Oo a whole first sentence disappeared on my last post...hope it makes sense. The lateral test she got did was last term’s one not what will be offered when she goes back.

No idea about testing for my DC, but the lateral flow ones sound as much use as a chocolate teapot. It sounds like there won’t be any easy way of stopping this new variant from spreading, so maybe most vulnerable would be best to stay at home

Yes I agree bigTilly. Problem is we are waiting on test results to work out how vulnerable Dd2 (year 12) is. At the moment she’ll get the vaccination between the 60-65 year olds. If schools stay off in January that would be really useful in her situation. Once Uni Dd is back at Uni she’s staying put until Dd2 has had the virus or vaccination (hopefully the latter)!
Gin it maybe worth looking if your Dd can have the vaccination in an earlier group too.

The lateral flow tests when used by students at Birmingham were 3% accurate!!!

@Piggyinblankets

The lateral flow tests when used by students at Birmingham were 3% accurate!!!

Evidence please

justasking
www.newscientist.com/article/2263746-test-caught-just-3-per-cent-of-students-with-covid-19-at-uk-university/

@Zandathepanda my husband is in the 60-65 year old group for vaccine. 7th in line. We reckon end of summer 😩

I think they need to vaccinate secondary age, university age and teachers etc. I really feel the students need to get back to school/university. They are the ones really missing out on education. A lot of pensioners, although I know they might be lonely, but at least they can isolate. Extremely vulnerable and very elderly are obviously important. But I think the youngsters need considering especially now they seem to be being effected. It wasn't effecting them before.

Thank you Zanda. I think she needs to talk to a medical professional about it first. She had the swine flu vaccine when she was at primary school, and there has been a link with that to narcolepsy. I'm not an anti vaxxer by any means, but it does need discussing.

[quote Zandathepanda]justasking
www.newscientist.com/article/2263746-test-caught-just-3-per-cent-of-students-with-covid-19-at-uk-university/[/quote]
It's still only 0.86 percent positive with better tests ergo the students were free to go home

At all the university's mentioned the positives were ultra low. DS had it back in March. First years within two months of return in September students are done and dusted until the January overseas intake which is a concern but I cannot see universities turning down that money

The issue with the LFTs is that they become less and less accurate the more inexpert their use. (so the higher accuracy in labs is because of who administered the tests). They also are not good with asymptomatic people , which is their whole proposed use.