@Carolina Red, I'm really sorry to hear your update. 
SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)
- Thread starter Don't Kill Bill
- Start date
I’m sorry to read this. Take care, my thoughts are with you.
You Survived Trump. This will be a breeze. Get well soon!
Nothing has no effect but worrying too much about a few weeks of school when there isn't a safe choice isn't worth it. And of course they can get it back with a bit of consistent extra effort from schools and parents when the pandemic subsides.
Hard but doable. It is your kids education so the effort will be worth it.
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1 to 2 years really isnt going to hurt and we are only in real terms looking at those sorts of time frames at the very worst. Dont underestimate the ability of kids to catch up and to excel. I myself missed 2 years of schooling while my family travelled and I ended up with 2 degrees a successful career and a highly enjoyable social life. There is too much angst and fear mongering going on out there. I also coached football at exclusive private schools and ordinary public schools, the biggest difference is facilities and the ability of parents to attend support and encourage extracurricular activities. Maybe add in the advantage of mixing in social circles which are more privileged. So how much schooling and social interaction are the kids missing out on? Maybe a few months? 6 months? They will be fine.
I tend to agree with this more optimistic viewpoint on the resilience and adaptability of kids, but do we have any evidence on how this impacts on a whole group of kids rather than individuals? I guess there must be some examples of communities where schools have been destroyed in natural disasters or schools have disappeared in crumbling economies, but I haven't read anything about the outcomes. It's just not the kind of thing you want to be conducting a population-wide experiment on. And while there's still a lot about child psychology that's more myth than robust science, we do have good reason to believe that kids absorb different levels and kinds of information at different times, so if you miss out on certain pivotal moments, you can't just replace it like-for-like.
There are multiple people in this thread that have said they missed out on significant chunks of school and were able to adapt to that without much issue, but it's possible you were just wired the right way to deal with it. What if you're the exception? Alternatively, what if it is true that the majority of kids can adapt to it, but there's a large minority that really can't handle it and suffer long-term consequences? It's the fear of the long-term damage that does justify some caution, I think. We know that people have coped with the social disconnection and changing life priorities differently during this period, and some adults have found it much more difficult than others. No reason to believe that wouldn't apply to kids too. Only they'll have less understanding of what's happening, how to deal with it, or how to communicate it. If you're the government that consciously made a decision to leave those kids behind, how will you feel about it in 10 years when they're suffering all kinds of problems?
I think when faced with that kind of responsibility and potential risks, it's natural to freeze up and just try to continue with things as normally as possible for as long as possible.
Some excellent points there Brwned and made me think a bit. I think (nothing scientific here) that possibly the biggest danger will be anxiety transferred from adults to kids because they pick up so much. The anxiety of course is entirely understandable given whats been going on. I honestly believe the scholastic side of things can be dealt with if Govts approach the problems of missed schooling etc with a degree of intelligence and balance but thats ultimately the problem isnt it? Will they?
@Carolina Red get well soon and kick the microscopic little bastard to bits.
Unlikely! Agree about the anxiety. In the early stages a couple of my nieces had visibly taken on their parents’ anxiety and became unusually timid, but everything got better since then. Going back to nursery and school helped with that but even in the month prior it was amazing to see how the parents being much more relaxed translated to their kids too. At a time when teenagers (young girls particularly) are experiencing higher levels of anxiety, and that links directly to more time spent on social media, I’d worry a bit about that. But like you say I generally see kids bounce back from many obstacles better than their parents! A lot of our worst fears seem to be projections, and maybe they end up becoming reality if they project them for long enough!
Fingers crossed for the wife!
Get well soon. You'll beat it.
Think a lot of schools are trying to get their kids laptops, but so will every school on the planet, the demand is outgrowing the supply. It takes time.
Feck, get well soon!
Ultimately we all want kids in school, but they will surely end up being super spreaders? The numbers are unsustainable, and we need to protect the NHS.
Obviously it isn’t perfect and there will be lots that the poor kids miss out on 100%, but it’s all we can do right now.
I finish my isolation Wednesday so will be outside for the first time in a long time, my partner has seemingly recovered okay, and I don’t think I got it, which was/is unexpected.
Obviously it isn’t perfect and there will be lots that the poor kids miss out on 100%, but it’s all we can do right now.
I finish my isolation Wednesday so will be outside for the first time in a long time, my partner has seemingly recovered okay, and I don’t think I got it, which was/is unexpected.
A 'sharp rise' of eating disorders in children has already been documented.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55468632
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And I'm back shielding again
It's starting to take its toll now
It's starting to take its toll now
Let’s wait a little longer until it gets really bad and the corporate landlords ease off with their lobbying.
Even taking the education side of it out what about the kids where school is their only safe haven from a life of abuse? What about the kids where school is there only hope of a hot meal? What message will that send to them? Whatever way it's spun we'd be throwing them to the wolves.
Schools (especially primary) should be top priority when deciding what to open and shut, if literally everything else has to shut bar supermarkets and pharmacy's (and make entry to even them stricter in terms of limited capacity, shopping alone etc) to make that happen that's that is what has to happen.
The wife is over the worst of it now. Breathing is almost back to normal. I got it very lightly. Loss of taste and smell for short periods, and a slightly elevated temperature. She tested positive with symptoms starting on the 27th a few days after mine had started. It totally floored her. Slept like a champion for a few days. Any effort, even reading the kids a bedtime story left her really short of breath. We're still both knackered. First day back to work today for both of us, and I'm flagging already. 3 coffees in, and I'm still feeling my eyes closing. 3 more days of isolation left. Food supplies are not too bad, although the outside freezer has stopped working, so we've lost all that food.
I agree it’s far from perfect, but what can we do realistically? Maybe the government could properly address some of those issues whilst closing the schools? I honestly don’t know. Keeping the schools open and allowing it to spread even further will just create further death.
Damn. Some people want their cake and want to eat it too.
How can you expect us to do everything for everyone.
How can you expect us to do everything for everyone.
pm me hun x
Half measures are only shown to be making this whole thing last longer. Causing even greater economic disaster that will also greatly impact those kids. At the moment the best solution seems to be keeping the most vulnerable in school and taking the rest out until we can get a handle on things again.
Are things going to get better without further action? No.
Shall we take that action now, or when they get even worse? Let's wait for them to get worse.
And I'm back shielding again
It's starting to take its toll now
Daily exercise getting me through - I regret not doing more outdoor exercise during the initial shielding period, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and there was so much uncertainty about the virus initially.
Thankfully, people with the same risk factor as me who have caught COVID have generally responded okay. Still not leaving anything to chance though - particularly with the threat of "long COVID".
It’s a serious point you raise actually, you can’t please everyone so which way do you go with opening schools for example? Personally I think best way would be to let the parents choose without reprisal whether to send them in or not whilst in the toughest lockdowns
Yeah that's my plan as well, I actually got quite a bit of exercising done in the first lockdown, but slacked on massively when I went back to work. 2nd lockdown I basically did nothing for 4 weeks. This time round I want to create the habit and stick at it as then at least it's not been a waste of time again.
Also the health benefits of getting fitter mean more with the added benefits it could bring if I do catch covid.
I wonder what restrictions they’ll impose. And makes no sense that they continue to delay.
I appreciate the sentiment but I’m almost certain that a policy like that would quickly be found to benefit the better off.
And teachers should be expected to just turn up and put themselves at risk? Lock the entire County Down, close the schools and get in with vaccinating people. When enough have been then think about opening up again. Anything else I fear is going to add to the death toll.
I'm glad you're both on the mend. I know you're working from home, but it sounds like you shouldn't be working at all right now.The wife is over the worst of it now. Breathing is almost back to normal. I got it very lightly. Loss of taste and smell for short periods, and a slightly elevated temperature. She tested positive with symptoms starting on the 27th a few days after mine had started. It totally floored her. Slept like a champion for a few days. Any effort, even reading the kids a bedtime story left her really short of breath. We're still both knackered. First day back to work today for both of us, and I'm flagging already. 3 coffees in, and I'm still feeling my eyes closing. 3 more days of isolation left. Food supplies are not too bad, although the outside freezer has stopped working, so we've lost all that food.
Is there any difference between Tier 4 and "Lockdown" other than schools remaining open?
I've been fairly tight with the restrictions since March so makes no odds to me. I doubt a March style lockdown would have the same effect as too many people don't seem to care anymore.
I've been fairly tight with the restrictions since March so makes no odds to me. I doubt a March style lockdown would have the same effect as too many people don't seem to care anymore.
Thanks Penna. We’re both in jobs that are not in any way physically exhausting. We’ve had 16 days off work for Christmas already. Our projects will suffer. One of us always get sick at Christmas. It’s like clockwork.
Thank you Penna.@Carolina Red, I'm really sorry to hear your update.
I appreciate it!
Ha! That's one way to look at it. Can't be worse than him, right?!
Mission in progress. It won't know what hit it.
That's the spirit.
Unfortunately, the 6 feet distance I'm having to keep from my wife is just a wee bit too far for me to still be able to engage in such activities.
With situations like in S.A. surely the best thing to do is completely lock down the borders? No one in or out
Look I agree with you, despite a brilliant set of structures put in place at my sons school but despite that, we still had 3 outbreaks just before Christmas. I would rather there is a definitive solution rather than bitty solutions, that can’t help anyone with uncertainty.
However I get the argument about a percentage of kids relying on the school meals and safety (though that also speaks to government failings in other ways).
So I’d propose the compromise
You mean educationally or in terms of shelter and a meal?
Been living in tier 4 since before Xmas and it's not quite the same as a full lockdown, it's more in tune with the November lockdown rather than the April one.
Quite a lot of shops are still open, some get around the rules, others are doing click and collect only etc.
But in terms of people's attitudes, there's no sign of a lockdown at all. People still going to work, still out walking about, still going about as we were back in October, just without the boozers. Although one of my locals is doing takeaway pints.
Heres the thing, when both opinions seem valid but both sides are kicking a fuss because they want to be right. Thats where the problem lies, many people just want to be proven right.