Petition link to close schools

Why just schools? Did a disgruntled teenager create this petition? If we're going down that route then close everywhere. Surely supermarkets are going to be the biggest risk of spreading infection so better shut them too.
Or how about we all carry on with washing our hands regularly and crack on with normal life instead of panicking. Perhaps my age (nearly 50) makes my cynical or maybe it's having been through this before with bird flu 10 years ago and AIDS 35 years ago.

Langbannedforsafeguardingkids

I honestly think closing most schools, and only keeping some open for key workers (NHS staff, police etc), would be the best option. Would slow spread

Nope. You can fck right off with that. I work in health - why should my child have to go to school when yours doesn’t? You either shut them all or none at all. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say NHS workers kids are fine to catch the virus but your precious child can’t. The entitlement and selfishness here is truly unbelievable

“I see Class 7B have been at the petitions site.”

Lol

There's a reason that schools have been closed in literally every country that has serious numbers of this disease. China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Italy, Iran. Germany and France are closing schools in hard hit areas too.

It will happen at some point, whether a whole country closure or localised, it's a question of how effective it will be - this is linked to when it happens.

The Chief Medical Officer in this country has said school closures may happen

www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m806

It's not like people are plucking this idea out of thin air. Desperate times call for desperate measures. They must have found solutions for the healthcare workers in all the many, many other countries which have had school closures.

It's not closing schools for no reason - if schools are closed it is likely there will be fewer healthcare workers off sick as a result of the decrease in transmission. It's not close schools, massive inconvenience with no benefit to the NHS and it's staff - the reason this is being considered is to help the NHS and it's staff (as well as save lives - again related to the strain on the NHS).

Of course I'll sign, dd is only doing GCSEs this year so nothing to lose if she doesn't go to school. Instead, maybe she and other dc that would otherwise be sitting exams could step up and cover the jobs of all the essential workers that won't be getting done if schools close.

FFS

Of course no one would have to send their kids in, I'm just suggesting it as one option for the many many people saying how would you resolve healthcare workers childcare problems. The Government probably has a better solution or more (I hope) - they're going to have to find a solution.

The Government has actually said this might happen. I think people are just suggesting that if they're going to do it, doing it sooner rather than later might be better (see Italy).

Nonsense, also based on the quality of the writing the person who raised this petition would have benefitted from more school.

How long exactly would you recommend that we lock children in their homes?

Who will actually work if the parents of all children are stuck at home? Presumably that would be both parents in a two parent home as the risk of one going to work, getting infected and bringing it home would be too high.

There would not be enough workers to maintain any services not just the essential ones like hospitals, no one would be delivering food or sending out prescriptions of medicine.

It's not about any individual catching it either, it's about community transmission. That is different to individual risk.

Children get it mildly - closing the schools would not be to protect the children. It would be to slow the spread and lower the rate of adults catching it (including NHS staff!). Why is this so difficult for people to understand.

Do people really think that the 8 or more countries that have done this to whatever degree are doing it on a whim? And that the people there don't have childcare problems to solve?

The SARS outbreak took about 8 months to vanish. How could schools close for that length of time or longer? Not everyone can WFH - it seems a very entitled way of viewing the world. Emergency services, retail, carers, bin men - all the people who you rely on, none of these can work from home, and are among the lowest paid, so won't be able to just take time off with their children. If schools are closed, will childminders and other registered providers have to follow suit? That's potentially all children then from babies to teens whose parents will need to make arrangements. It's not feasible. A couple of weeks maybe is doable but if this lasts any length of time, nobody will have a job to go back to, or society will have fallen apart because the people needed to care for the sick and elderly will be quarantined at home with their children.

So those of us that can’t take time off work for staying at home to take care of our children (those that are so small that depend on us ) will end up relying on grandparents to take care of them. Gp are a vulnerable group. We’re putting a low risk (as per % at the moment) taking care by a high risk group. Not sure how it works.

Option b. I take a salary cut and stay at home with my son. Do I still pay for the nursery ? With which money ?

My children will suffer enough due to decisions made for them.

They are at a disadvantage in the world already. I do not want their education to suffer

Btw I can wfh but I literally can’t work with a 2yo. I could if he was 10 but he’s dependant on me. So ... what do I do?

Could someone who agrees with this petition please post some evidence of a reduction in spread in countries that have closed schools please?

I've just seen an article pop up on BBC saying that Italy have now had 200 deaths, so still seeing a spread there with 49 people dying in the last 24 hrs and more than 4600 cases reported in total.

@tryingtoprep I work in nhs emergency planning and shutting the schools is potentially something that may happen in some areas but we're not at that stage yet. Follow informed guidance rather than online hysteria.

Asking nhs staff to put themselves at risk and then treat their children with no care and line an inconvenience will not go down well. We do however have plans for business continuity which covers childcare so again I ask, please let us do our jobs and you just wash your hands and follow the guidance given, being aware that guidance is likely to change regularly.

*I honestly think closing most schools, and only keeping some open for key workers (NHS staff, police etc), would be the best option.

How on earth would this work?? Random schools being open in different places with a selection of kids and teachers who don't know each other?

Also, if kids and teenagers are off school they're not necessarily going to be at home. They will be in town centres, shops, sports centres, so still spreading infection.

@EasterIssland What would you do if you got sick? Perhaps seriously, maybe hospitalised. Who would look after your child then?

@DippyAvocado exactly. At least at school staff are making dc wash hands every time they come into the classroom. Judging by the number of dc friend's who seem confused that my dc wash their hands before dinner, I think it's more controlled at school for now.

@tryingtoprep then I’d need to find a solution but then I’ll be paid by my employer (which is more than statutory pay) and my sickness insurance so I’d still be able to pay for his childcare. If I’m sent home 2 weeks and can’t work cuz needing to take care of my son but still pay for his nursery then I’d not be able to afford it.
Also it’s different that few children whose parents are too sick to take care of them to be looked after their grand parents than most of us that need to continue working and our children being taken care by the grand parents.
Im more likely to be healthier than my parents or in laws(not saying I’ll 100% be but % is on my side )

Sorry “ be looked after BY their grand parents“

I see it's not an easy situation, EasterIssland.

I'd like to see our money (tax revenue) used in this extraordinary circumstance. Some sort of emergency fund for people needing to self isolate or pay for childcare. We could temporarily cut a few percent off the salary we pay our public servants (MPs) to fund this.

I hope any UK decision will be based on expert public health advice as the crisis develops

Italy was advised to close their schools, but the UK has probably not yet got to the stage where the experts would advise this

Until then, it would be better to allow parents who wish to do so to keep their kids home, without fines or losing their school place

btw, It would take a hell of a lot more money than MPs' salaries to fund the extra childcare required if all schools were to close
and it would discourage anyone except multimillionaires from becoming MPs if they thought their pay might be docked in the next crisis

why would you close schools no no no

I honestly think closing most schools, and only keeping some open for key workers (NHS staff, police etc), would be the best option. Would slow spread but ensure childcare for key workers, would also ease pressure on schools when staff start to go off sick. Also encourage everyone who can to WFH.

schools are not childcare. They are there to educate which all children are entitled to regardless of what their parents jobs are.

I agree with your last point though.

Btw I would be ok if schools closed. I could wfh and my kids are 11 and 14. But a few years ago it would have been a bloody nightmare in the job I did then so I get the worry x