But I don’t understand why schools need more time to prepare? It was going to happen, we just didn’t know the date (still don’t for sure) but March 8th is two weeks away and as said, hardly a surprise it was coming?

Look at the trouble they caused by locking things down only after 1 day of schools opening after christmas. They dont want to be in that situation again.

The Government said back at the start of this lockdown that they would give them 2 weeks notice.
Dont be shocked if they ask schools to open earlier if they feel its ok to do so…

With all that’s happened before half of me says the Government are using data to ensure they do not fall flat on their faces / U Turn again and that may mean I just don’t understand how safe this is. Then again….

I think a lot of us who have been very critical of the government have that doubt, but we need to remember that lockdown, and the current vaccine, are intended to reduce pressure on the NHS as a priority, rather than try to eliminate transmission.

Surprised all school years being encouraged to go back on March 8th. My two are Year 13 and Year 9. For all their moaning about it, going back to school in September with social contact was good for them at an individual level, though we were incredibly lucky no one caught it.

I shall be remaining incredibly cautious despite what the government says, until my 52 year old arm has had at least one injection.

Has anyone got experience of picking up a relative from a Covid ward?  I’ve been told I might need to self-isolate again (literally just come out of a ten day period…) if I pick my dad up and take him home after he’s spent the last week and a half in ITU and back to a normal Covid ward this weekend.  I understand he’s tested negative and I can’t imagine they’ll actually let me on to the ward to collect him.

Experience welcome, I’ll gladly isolate to get him back home with my mum, but mentally I’m struggling not being able to get out to exercise.  Again, I’ll take the hit for my parents, would just like to understand what the situation will likely be.

I can’t see any rule that says you have to?

Me neither, I’m getting info second hand from my mum. The nurse mentioned it to her. I get my dad may need to isolate as he’s on a covid ward.  The only issue I can see is if it’s because I may come into contact with staff on a covid ward, but surely then it’ll only kick in if o e of them test positive and I’ve been directly in touch with them…

Woohoo, had my appointment through for next Monday. In group 6 and surprised to have had it so early here in NE Scotland.

@twistedpencil great news to hear your Dad is being discharged, yes you can pick him up from hospital as it’s classed as support, especially if he’s in your bubble. If he’s there is no need to isolate but obviously in coming days if he tests positive then yes you do. Wear masks if you can though to helped reduce a risk to both of you and wipe down any contact points.

Back teaching 6th form in two weeks and there is no social distancing no matter what the politions say.
I’m more apprehensive this time than in September for some reason. Fingers crossed I can dodge covid again this time.
But we need to get back to it, just wished I had the jab before hand.

This may well have been covered previously, but on the back of BJs “roadmap out of lockdown” announcement, all schools back in on 8th March without vaccination of teachers and education staff is just wilful ignorance, or planned infection rate rise.

We’re ****.

School and college staff have been dropped in the shit, in my opinion. Should have been vaccinated last week. Leaving them to do their own testing of pupils is an abdication of responsibility as well.

But I don’t understand why schools need more time to prepare?

Prepare for what, all kids back no precautions game on, all kids back, still in year group bubbles? I was wondering today as I watched 30 year 7’s who is going to test them when all the kids are back in school as the people doing the testing all have jobs in school that will need doing if all kids are back. How often do we have to test the kids, twice a week, like now?, That’s the best part of 3k tests to organise a week, being done by people who work in the school..

Glad I ain’t SLT!

Fair points A_A. Like I said, despite my wife working as admin in a school I don’t understand the nuances.

I can’t speak for schools but in my business we have a number of plans on the shelf, ready to take down and use either wholesale or modified. Some are granular; we can do this to cover this part but we’ll also need to add in that to cover the other bits. Some are reinstating already used plans. Maybe there is a reason why schools can’t have that sort of planning in place, hence why 2 weeks isn’t enough. I don’t know, hence asking.

Just read a really good (I think…) explanation of some basics of the virus and vaccines:

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n05/rupert-beale/eeek

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56158405

Summers back on 😊

@Drac thank you very much.  This place is great for clearing things up.  I guess I am now in a bubble with my parents, we’ve avoided that so far as they’ve been shielding.

After spending a week with my mum there is no way anything has entered their house with the virus and been able to survive.  Their garage has been turned into a detention centre for food and post, with lots of disinfectant!  My sister and I are now worried how they’ll reintegrate back into wider society without having to dettol everything first…

Summers back on 😊

Back on furlough? Back in lockdown? Back in an upward, uncontrollable mass infection rate spiral. Back of the queue at the testing centre?

Back on furlough? Back in lockdown? Back in an upward, uncontrollable mass infection rate spiral. Back of the queue at the testing centre?

Let in a little light now and again eh. You’ll feel much happier. 😘

To the teachers out there, if you’re not comfortable with these plans then do whatever is necessary to oppose them. Go on strike, do something! You would have my full support as a parent.

Thanks DrJ – an interesting read.

What happens if pupils (or their parents on their behalf) refuse testing? Or if school staff refuse to administer tests?

And I still don’t get why we are not offering staff vaccines a few weeks before their public spaces are fully opened back up.

I’m struggling to see why there isn’t a staggered return to school. Get things up and running and test out plans before max capacity.

My kids go to school on the train, along with thousands of others, mixing different areas and schools. Before Xmas the train co’s cut rush hour/school time services and shortened trains. From social distancing to standing room only overnight. Chances of trains being reinstated for Mar 8?

Back teaching 6th form in two weeks and there is no social distancing no matter what the politions say.

My kids schools have been really hot on distancing and face shields, it amazes me that some schools have been so poor at it.

So, being guided by data and not dates, I can only see headlines featuring dates. He’s **** it up again hasn’t he?

Let in a little light now and again eh. You’ll feel much happier. 😘

Well it’s particularly tough ATM, The Wife is a Teaching Assistant with about a third of all kids already in school due to being key worker kids, or pushy parents, delete as appropriate, with about 25% of all staff off either isolating or ill with COVID.

I’m a “key worker” food industry, which is frankly a pisstake, with 30% of staff on furlough or off sick, with an expectation from our customer that it’s business as usual.

I’m ****, my wife is struggling, youngest has moderate Autism, but studying from home instead of Tech College, mother is recovering from a stroke. Our family mental health is in the cess pit ATM.

So, yes, cheer up, could be worse!

So, being guided by data and not dates, I can only see headlines featuring dates. He’s **** it up again hasn’t he?

To be fair to Johnson… the public (and most journalists) don’t understand data, but they all have a calendar.

If I’ve understood correctly, all the apparent minority of kids that haven’t continued to go to school, all go back on March 8th, three weeks before Easter hols.

Would it not have been of benefit to phase them back, with a bulk returning after the holiday, to give more time for more vaccination jabs; hopefully less cases; less Covid+ people in hospital etc.?

Also gives schools more time to prepare and test any new Covid protocols.

Not to mention it gives more time to see if these “South African” strain outbreaks, including in Southampton, come to anything in the coming weeks.

But last week, he went on TV to say “ We will be guided by data not dates”

No data, but a lot of dates 🤷🏼‍♂️

Maybe there is a reason why schools can’t have that sort of planning in place,

Because we are governed by morons who keep shifting the goal posts with no warning hence everything is reactive.

How does BloJo have a crystal ball so good he can see through to July?

Part of me likes that a) we might be heading out of lockdown and b) we can plan ahead.

My concern is the rapid return of schools, the reopening of pubs/indoors/larger meets.

As ever there will be a proportion of our population who think they can move ahead of the timetable, as a few weeks aren’t going to make a difference.

A couple of weeks of dodgy weather just as we’re allowed to mix/meet again, and we could see another rise of these super infecting versions of cv19, surely?

@morecashthandash

My kids schools have been really hot on distancing and face shields, it amazes me that some schools have been so poor at it.

Is this with their school fully open?
Was that face shields for staff only or staff and students in class as I do not know of any school that was doing this for all before Christmas.
If so I’m impressed.
It is not that the school I’m in is poor at it. It is that you can not physically do social distancing with everyone in because of the size of the buildings.

Four steps with five weeks between each step – except step one comes in two parts. We get kids back to school then a few weeks. Then mixing, then Easter with step 2 decision being immediately after Easter. Basing the timings off the one week prior to projected relaxation day for a decision. Step 3 (start of May) looks to be the first one where there will data showing impact. Seems like the risk is Schools taking us to the limits and then Easter (depending on behaviour) tips us over. At least the pubs are shut!

Just to add overall I’m feeling optimistic, lots of vaccination plus some natural immunity in the younger population this maybe coming to an end.
Note I said maybe.

No data, but a lot of dates

Well, four.

How does BloJo have a crystal ball so good he can see through to July?

He doesn’t, that’s why its based on science and thats why the dates have some quite specific dependancies and the gaps they have. Probably best to watch Witty & Valance at 7pm to get the full picture. Also we are soon to be moving out of Flu season, another small tool in the armoury.

But, there’s always a risk and remember this is a Governmental balance between people & economy.

I’m struggling to see why there isn’t a staggered return to school. Get things up and running and test out plans before max capacity.

Because Scotlands doing that and god forbid he does anything that doesn’t look like his idea

Just to add overall I’m feeling optimistic, lots of vaccination plus some natural immunity in the younger population this maybe coming to an end.

I guess we’ll find out when we turn on the taps in March. I’m still looking around and seeing rates of 150-200 per 100,000 in a lot of areas, so that still needs to decline sharply in the the next couple of weeks, or we’re no better off than we were in September.

– deleted –

Chat after they’ve had a chance to brief us properly.

I’m still looking around and seeing rates of 150-200 per 100,000 in a lot of areas

This is the bit that worries me, but the key point I took away was this is about admissions not cases – if admissions are low enough not to trouble the NHS, then it would be deemed not to matter if there were 66m cases in the UK even. Kinda.

If hospital admissions are all that matter, that worries me. I know plenty of people who were never inpatients, but have lost a hell of a lot thanks to this virus. Worried that the order of events is all askew at the moment. We’ll see what they say… but I’d rather see the horse before the cart this spring.

@kentishman

Eldest at 2000 student sixth form college in Nottinghamshire (Tier 4). As much distancing as possible, staff in shields and 2 metres from students since September, additional security brought in to make sure kids are sticking to bubbles/distancing in free periods. Students in masks indoors from Octiber half term – across all Notts secondary schools as I understand it from teacher friends. Roughly 20% of students isolating at any one time in the half term before Christmas but no staff infections at all since the first week in September when one turned up with it that she must have caught prior to college opening.

Daughter at an 800 strong Derbyshire secondary. Masks not compulsory for pupils but kept in strict bubbles with as much distancing as space allows. Teachers in shields and 2 metres from students. Her year had no infections at all, only one teacher tested positive and that was early October.

Both travelled on school buses, so all bets off for that.

I am not a fan of this government. They have handled this badly.

But that doesn’t mean they are getting this particular part wrong. (It doesn’t mean they’re getting it right either)

But there seem to be a few on here that assume that because it’s the Government’s plan it’s going to be wrong. Play the ball, not the man.

Has this been done?

Pfizer vaccine appears stable at regular freezer temp, opens up a lot more distribution options

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/pfizer-vaccine-no-longer-needs-to-be-stored-at-ultra-low-temperatures-data-1.4489678