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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Is anyone’s school affected by the Coronavirus?

108 replies

fedup21 · 25/02/2020 22:27

Ours isn’t, so all is good there.

I have a totally crazy and irrational jealousy of teachers that are being sent home for 14 days to self isolate after half term ski trips though.

Ridiculous, I know as it’s a killer. I think that shows how unhappy I am at work and how much I need to get out of teaching.

OP posts:
AHippoNamedBooBooButt · 25/02/2020 22:31

No but a teacher in my department went to Milan last week so I keep asking her if she has a cough or raised temperature yet so we can shut for two weeks.

AHippoNamedBooBooButt · 25/02/2020 22:32

I feel a little envy of her power in that she can phone in any time saying she's just a little under the weather and that's two weeks at home in front of the tv. That's quite something

noblegiraffe · 25/02/2020 22:36

No, we had a half term Italian ski trip but not to a locked down region so business as usual so far.

Two weeks off would really fuck up my A-level teaching, I can’t afford it!

Wonder how this will affect exams if it really gears up.

ElderAve · 25/02/2020 22:38

We have a member of staff who was skiing in Italy at half term. She's desperate to be told she needs to stay home. I fully expect her to "develop symtoms" in the next couple of days!

mnahmnah · 25/02/2020 22:40

We’re close to two of the schools. One of which, some of the students and staff have come down with flu-like symptoms. As much as I wouldn’t want any of them to have coronovirus and I certainly hope it doesn’t spread towards my school, the way things have been recently I feel the same as you! Just don’t want to go to work anymore

idontlike789 · 25/02/2020 22:41

Why in earth would anyone want to stay home for 2 weeks ? You know you can't go anywhere , so no days out no trips to the shops or anything it's self isolation 14 days of staying in the house , my idea of hell . I find it odd that anyone would be happy to self isolate .

mnahmnah · 25/02/2020 22:42

The point being that even that is preferable to work. That’s how shit we feel about teaching

noblegiraffe · 26/02/2020 00:11

School closed for two weeks would be ok, but sitting at home sending in two weeks of cover work would be bloody awful.

Greenmarmalade · 26/02/2020 00:13

I was just thinking about this today. I think teachers up and down the country are pondering it.

leccybill · 26/02/2020 00:19

I said to DH earlier I'd kiĺl for a snow day this week, or a unexpected closure of any sort.

ExhaustedPigeon · 26/02/2020 00:25

The secondary we feed into has just come back from an Italian ski trip. They were in a category 2 area but apparently 2 children are being tested for it. Lots of the kids there have siblings at my school so we will wait and see. Local FB is going nuts. I can't afford 2 weeks out with sats ahead.

SansaSnark · 26/02/2020 06:51

We're nearish to one of the schools with students and teachers self isolating. We also had a student come in on Monday having been to one of the affected ski resorts over half term on holiday - so they have been sent home for 2 weeks and the school is seeking advice on what to do next.

Although 2 weeks off initially sounds nice, I don't think I would want to self isolate for that long and I would be worried about my y11 classes in the run up to exams.

I can understand why people would feel this way though!

AlternativePerspective · 26/02/2020 07:00

So this self isolation for two weeks is all very well, but:

Family will all have to stay home as well.
No trips out
No home shopping deliveries
No takeaways
How are people going to feed themselves and their families while sitting on their arses and pretending they have symptoms and throwing the country into even more panic than it is already.

The wannabe skivers need to seriously think this through, because one person pretending they have symptoms is possibly going to have a mass knock-on effect not only to people’s daily lives, but to the recording of stats, etc.

Not a very clever idea that. Angry

FredaFrogspawn · 26/02/2020 07:04

Why couldn’t you have shopping deliveries? Surely that would only kick in if the whole city / town/ area was ill.

ValancyRedfern · 26/02/2020 07:07

I don't think anyone's actually planning on doing it alternative perspective. One of the schools near me has people isolated after a ski trip. What I'm dreading is after the news breaking last night I know the kids will be whipping themselves up into a panic today.

middleager · 26/02/2020 07:08

My son returned on Sat from a school ski trip to North Italy, flying in from Verona, but it is business as usual at the school.

DippyAvocado · 26/02/2020 07:48

No but a teacher in my department went to Milan last week

My son returned on Sat from a school ski trip to North Italy, flying in from Verona

Schools seem to be interpreting the advice inconsistently. A teacher I know has had to stay home after visiting Northern Italy, but not one of the specific towns with an outbreak. This was following 111 advice.

NHS coronavirus page says you should call 111 if you have recently travelled to other parts of northern Italy (anywhere north of Pisa, Florence and Rimini). This area includes both Milan and Verona. The teacher I know was advised the risk was pretty low but she should self-isolate.

Ffsnosexallowed · 26/02/2020 07:51

Also wondering why you couldn't have shopping deliveries????

noblegiraffe · 26/02/2020 07:58

The Government and NHS coronavirus page say you should only call 111 and self-isolate if you’ve been to Northern Italy and develop symptoms.

AlternativePerspective · 26/02/2020 08:00

Why couldn’t you have shopping deliveries? Surely that would only kick in if the whole city / town/ area was ill. Nope. It’s the very definition of self-isolation. You cannot expose yourself to anyone else because of the risk of spreading the virus if you have it.

This is why people have to self isolate, and the clue is in the word isolate

Monstermummymum · 26/02/2020 08:02

I wonder if you could get them to leave it on the doorstep. You pay online so technically you wouldn't need to expose them.

ElderAve · 26/02/2020 08:05

I do wonder about the robustness of "self isolation" and if it's not robust, what's the point?

TheSheepofWallSt · 26/02/2020 08:07

@AlternativePerspective

Bullshit. There is no evidence that exposure of under 15 mins in an open air environment with a symptomless person and no meaningful direct contact will spread anything.

I don’t know about you, but my shopping delivery is placed in crates on my doorstep for me to life bags out, and I rarely sign anything - so no contact with the driver.

I wouldn’t worry about starving, I really wouldn’t.

Jenasaurus · 26/02/2020 08:11

Yes deliveries could be left outside. Ring the doorbell or text message so you know it’s arrived

ElderAve · 26/02/2020 08:12

But what if the delivery driver is also self isolating? I think that's the bigger issue, that those we rely on won't be at work. If we get to a stage where schools are closed, people won't be working simply for childcare reasons, let alone infection issues.