‘The risk of infection from children is very, very low’

Nope, exactly. What they are saying though is that the risk is very, very low.

I don't think schools should go back til September. Id rather my daughter stay at home. What i take exception to though is using retarded statements to try and win an argument.

 

Laura does that to me. I'll do sumat at home she doesn't like and she'll go, "are you retarded?". To which I'll reply, "how many fec king A-levels have you got thick lovely person?"

Then we'll usually laugh and I'll run her a bath. Little foot rub after...

 

but if a fallacious argument that isn’t it? How do you know that children didn’t cause the infection of the 50000 dead people? We don’t know anything because the Govt have failed to test trace and isolate.

 

I suspect the teaching unions may have something to say about that

 

We don't and I'm suggesting we don't make decisions based purely on assumptions. If the research suggests kids arent spreading it then they need to take that into account. I've made my opinions known about the school thing- id rather they go back in Sept.

I took exception to him insinuating that teachers will face certain death if they go back. Some teachers will die, but that isn't the same really is it? Some shop workers, posties, petrol pump attendants will also die. All of those deaths will be horrible, but not every single one of those professions will face certain death due to covid.

We dont need to over exaggerate things to further our opinion as the situation is shitty enough as it is.

 

I've had a good rant the last couple of days but fact is we've still got to get on with things. I agree why scare yourself further. Just keep taking the measures we are and hope for the best. Although I just wish I'd been tested whilst I was off sick/isolating. It's that have I? Haven't I? that's going through my head right now.

 

I agree. Just seemed a bit off to use that as an argument just like saying ‘certain death’ was wrong. No one can say anything with any degree of certain and that goes from WHO to the CMO to us randoms on the internet. We still don’t really understand some elements of Spanish Flu so we aren’t going to understand CV19.

the reality for schools is whatever the Govt says the vast majority of parents won’t send their kids back until September. They would be better to target exam years and see what could safely be done to help those kids rather than opening primary schools principally as a tool to get people back to work rather for educational purposes

 

The government hasn't handled it well at all, but they obviously know that to get the economy running again they need to get the kids back or a lot of people can't go to work. It is a crap dilemma and I hope they make the right decision, whichever that is (I don't honestly know).

 

The point I was trying to make was that of the 60 or so teachers that have died, we have no idea where they have contracted it from. To therefore base a decision to stop kids going back from that assumption, and coupling it with the phrase he used, was silly. Two of my pals for example are teachers and neither have been around kids during lockdown. If they died however it would count towards that 60.

 

I think the government is bracing itself for a second wave of the virus. I think it's happy for more people to die but just not as many as the first wave etc, etc. Kids back to school at the end of the first wave. At the end of the second wave open up bars etc. This wave has by no means finished but has last about ten weeks. The next couple of waves could take the country into next year. The death toll will have rocketed but it won't be the 250,000 mooted to start with. I don't see that as an achievement.

Had the government came out and not locked down full stop it would have been lamented and rightly so for the huge losses of life. However, doing things in stages isn't really reducing the death toll. It's prolonging it. I don't see the logic in human sacrifices in stages. I'd rather just keep lock down going.

 

Of the 65 teachers who have passed away there is no way of knowing how many passed away because of their profession either. The vast majority of school children have been off school for months, so how they dying catching it off them? Maybe they caught it in the supermarket? On their daily walk?

 

I think this is the real reason for the age groups indicated.

 

Given this shower's (politicians AND advisers) track record I don't trust them or believe a word they say.

 

Most schools stayed open for the children of key workers - including over Easter. Those pupils have a higher than average chance of catching COVID from their parents.

My apologies. I misinterpreted the ONS figures from yesterday to take the number of teachers dying (22 male/25 female + 10 teaching assistants) and extrapolated it to the full community instead . The rate /100000 was a different column. However, that doesn't agree with the 65 figure from the Schoolweek that you linked to...

 

I have no idea what the answer is, but I'd be interested to know what proportion of each of these occupations continued to work, versus those that stopped. Based on that it might be possible to have a clearer indication of how much going out to work increases the risk of catching covid 19. The numbers show that the chances of an individual catching and dying from the virus is low. The numbers also show that the more people that catch it the more people will die. I'd feel more comfortable if we had a testing and contact tracing strategy in place before we come out of lock down. I do however see that the current status quo is harming the economy and is badly impacting people's mental health, it's a tough call. As @Jay said, the lock down is protecting those who can afford to stay at home. I've been convalescing for a few months, but as I get better I'm in danger of getting survivor guilt.

 

It is looking like secondary schools won't restart in a meaningful way until September. Yrs 10 and 12 for a while before summer holidays (4th year and 1st year 6th form in old money). As an aside, 3 out of 13 of my department colleagues got Covid19 just before the schools shut, cough and temperature. All are fine and under 40 and fit. When's this antibody test coming out, any idea?

 

I think it's fair to say that preliminary studies suggest they are not be high spreaders of the virus, but exactly to what extent is still unknown until further research is done. The last point is important because the science is not settled and therefore there are questions to be answered. I'd recommend reading the articles below in full.

Nature - 7th May 2020

Vox - 2nd May 2020

 

It's going to be years R, 1 and 6 and it's not going to be mandatory. The government would like your kids to go, but parents won't be in trouble if they choose to keep them at home.

Judgement call obviously. Entirely different circumstances if your're young and healthy parents, than if you are older or have health issues or an elderly relative living with you. There should be no criticism of anyone's choice.

 

I've continued to work and had it, but I don't believe I contracted it at work as no one else there has. That I didn't pass it on to anyone else at work gives me great confidence that it's possible to continue to work without spreading the virus if the right measures are put in place.