Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

[Danp]

Youngest daughter (14, Y10) is isolating due to a lad in his class (sits behind her in most lessons) getting a positive test result. Oldest daughter (16, y12) has been told she's ok to go in as the case in 6th form was in Y13 so not in any of her lessons, but the 12s and 13s all share the same common room, lunch area etc.

[Duranis]

Youngest daughter (14, Y10) is isolating due to a lad in his class (sits behind her in most lessons) getting a positive test result. Oldest daughter (16, y12) has been told she's ok to go in as the case in 6th form was in Y13 so not in any of her lessons, but the 12s and 13s all share the same common room, lunch area etc.

Apparently the regulations are fairly lax. We had a case here before half term and the head said if they could guarantee that the pupils hadn't been moving around they were allowed to only isolate the kid with the positive test and those sitting directly next to them (within 2m I think it was). Thankfully they decide to isolate the entire class but that class was still mixing with the other class in that yeargroup. It was also doing activities in a room that the year above had to move through all the time to get to class.

[Danp]

Apparently the regulations are fairly lax. We had a case here before half term and the head said if they could guarantee that the pupils hadn't been moving around they were allowed to only isolate the kid with the positive test and those sitting directly next to them (within 2m I think it was). Thankfully they decide to isolate the entire class but that class was still mixing with the other class in that yeargroup. It was also doing activities in a room that the year above had to move through all the time to get to class.

 

Their school has been pretty good about it for the most part, stating how all pupils are in strict seating plans etc etc. But they don't mention anything about the biometric scanner used for lunch that doesn't get cleaned between pupils or the sixth form common room that is a free for all. I changed schools last week and have seen a difference between how they are handling it. My wife's Uni are doing things differently too.

[StevieM]

@Slarty66 - Have you had your antibody test, yet?

[Slarty66]

@Slarty66 - Have you had your antibody test, yet?

Yes, I was negative. But the questions after taking it on the online questionaire was interesting. There were questions asking if you had been ill November/December 2019. I had 10 of the 12 symptoms in December....

[Rob_D]

it looks like our advice from public Health England is no long to isolate whole year groups, but rather only send home students who are seated within 2m of the confirmed case in lessons. (Also no staff being sent home this time)

[bald_pig]

it looks like our advice from public Health England is no long to isolate whole year groups, but rather only send home students who are seated within 2m of the confirmed case in lessons. (Also no staff being sent home this time)

 

I believe that has always been the advice?

[mavhc]

At least test everyone in the class, otherwise you have no data as to whether the current advice is correct.

 

Spoiler: it isn't.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/03/advice-schools-covid-infection-pupils-classrooms-test-and-trace

[Andrew_C]

We've been discussing WHEN to test.

 

2yr old child of teacher in contact with a case at nursery - can't test child, apparently too young. Teacher tested, but too soon really for child to become contagious, infect father, and for him to have enough virus present to give a positive result.

[mikeprice]

OK - right

 

THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR

 

the panic buying here has now reached critical

 

There is loads of loo roll and pasta

 

but Tesco have run out of small tins of Marrowfat peas

 

I have been 3 times now and they still have none left - and the larger tins are getting low as well

 

 

THIS IS SERIOUS

 

how on earth an I supposed to keep Mrs mikeprice's intake of portion or fruit and veg up to 5 a week without marrowfat peas?????

 

question must be asked!!!!!!

[Rob_D]

I believe that has always been the advice?

Originally the whole bubble (aka the whole year group) had to isolate - as there's no social distancing enforcement within the year group bubbles. We sent a whole year group home before half term (presumably on PHE advice).

[Ditto]

OK - right

 

THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR

 

the panic buying here has now reached critical

 

There is loads of loo roll and pasta

 

but Tesco have run out of small tins of Marrowfat peas

 

I have been 3 times now and they still have none left - and the larger tins are getting low as well

 

 

THIS IS SERIOUS

 

how on earth an I supposed to keep Mrs mikeprice's intake of portion or fruit and veg up to 5 a week without marrowfat peas?????

 

question must be asked!!!!!!

Would love to see the question come up in one of the PM's updates. I believe he doesn't get to know the questions in advance.

[Danp]

Youngest daughter (14, Y10) is isolating due to a lad in his class (sits behind her in most lessons) getting a positive test result. Oldest daughter (16, y12) has been told she's ok to go in as the case in 6th form was in Y13 so not in any of her lessons, but the 12s and 13s all share the same common room, lunch area etc.

 

Both now have to isolate.

[sonofsanta]

Originally the whole bubble (aka the whole year group) had to isolate - as there's no social distancing enforcement within the year group bubbles. We sent a whole year group home before half term (presumably on PHE advice).

 

 

With the caveat that understanding and enforcing these rules is one of the few tasks that isn't my responsibility right now, we've never done that. We must have had, oh, ten or so cases now since October? And we've never been told by PHE/the LA team to send a whole year group home, even when there's been three cases in one year group and we've had something like 80-90% of said year group off self-isolating due to the 2m rule (based on seating plans, buses, and friendship groups). On the one hand this has worked well enough--every outbreak has been stopped before it can get a foothold--but on the other hand it'd be a damn sight simpler to just send them all home, because they'd actually get a better quality of teaching IMHO if everyone was remote than trying to satisfy both remote-learning and in-class-learning and having to implement a hybrid approach that falls short for both. It's far easier to plan a lesson where everyone is in front of you or everyone has a computer than a lesson where it's a hodge-podge of both.

 

EDIT: just read the Guardian article linked above, and looks like the advice changed before we had our first confirmed case, as they switched from local health teams to privatised call centre for the responses. Another top :playball:s up then!

Edited November 10, 2020 by sonofsanta

[mavhc]

We've been discussing WHEN to test.

 

2yr old child of teacher in contact with a case at nursery - can't test child, apparently too young. Teacher tested, but too soon really for child to become contagious, infect father, and for him to have enough virus present to give a positive result.

 

My 2 year old nephew had a test, strange.

[mikeprice]

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/outpouring-support-school-anger-group-19253876

 

Great - brave people shouting at kids using megaphones - however it also says 90% or parents have said they want their kids to get tested - so good there

 

but unfortunately morons will believe

[Norphy]

The man can be heard stating: "If you are the headteacher, we will put you on notice, if anything happens to these children getting tested for covid-19 - absolute disgrace, this will be going further."

 

 

What, exactly, do they think happens with a COVID test? How is putting a swab inside someone's mouth and rubbing it against their tonsils going to harm them? What a bunch of numbnuts.

[mikeprice]

What, exactly, do they think happens with a COVID test? How is putting a swab inside someone's mouth and rubbing it against their tonsils going to harm them? What a bunch of numbnuts.

 

Well their number is not going to include a high percentage of previous winners of Brain of Britain

[elsiegee40]

Well their number is not going to include a high percentage of previous winners of Brain of Britain

 

I kind of feel that the anti-testers, ant-mask and anti-vaccine brigade are probably a self-selecting Darwinian group...

[Norphy]

I kind of feel that the anti-testers, ant-mask and anti-vaccine brigade are probably a self-selecting Darwinian group...

 

If only that were true. They'd soon disappear. Sadly, one is only eligible for a Darwin award if one fails to reproduce

[6Foot2]

If only that were true. They'd soon disappear. Sadly, one is only eligible for a Darwin award if one fails to reproduce

 

Link: Darwin Awards: At-Risk Survivors

 

At-Risk Survivors stop short of the ultimate sacrifice; nevertheless, we salute the spirit of their colossal blunders with an Honorable Mention

 

[jthompson]

I kind of feel that the anti-testers, ant-mask and anti-vaccine brigade are probably a self-selecting Darwinian group...

 

Precisely the group of individuals who, more than any other, owe their very existence to the public health screening and vaccination programmes of yesteryear, which will have shielded their family tree from the harsher winds of raw natural selection.

[StevieM]

I love this extract from the article

 

Two women in the car can be seen shouting at children entering the school through a megaphone

 

It made me think of Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' (although that was children entering school through a mincer).

[JordanT91]

Each case we've had, it's been the whole bubble. If we could demonstrate that the positive case had only been in 1 room and around 1 class of pupils/TAs, then we'd probably just make that class isolate. But this hasn't been the case so far.

 

Since the start of October, we've had 14 positive cases, only 3 of which were pupils. At present, half of our bubbles are isolating.

[Norphy]

Had to take my 4 year old son to get tested yesterday

 

Result came back. Sprog tested negative. Parents very relieved. Sprog currently downstairs watching something on the telly.