Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

shesty

I haven't a clue.If you're implying that I have said schools aren't safe, therefore I think children can only get it in schools, that's obviously not correct.

I suspect Holohan means exactly that - they are more likely to get it outside schools, but that is not to say they cannot catch it inside schools.

It's a totally pointless argument at this stage anyway, covid is just everywhere.

paulocon2

Quick query that might settle a discussion I had with a someone today...

If someone in a house is sympthomatic and booked in for a test but isn't a contact of a positive case, what are the requirements of the other people in the house, particularly school going children (all fully vaccinated)?

Common sense would tell me to keep the children at home until test results come through (and then back to normal or isolation depending on positive/negative).

SusanC10

NPHET recommending Masks from 3rd Class upwards

http://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1125/1263048-covid-19-ireland/

Vaccinated30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118223045#Comment_118223045

Advise is if you think its covid keep siblings home.

Do an antigen test, if its negative then you no longer think its covid so siblings can go to school.

Id sooner my children catch covid than wear masks in schools.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224552#Comment_118224552

Me too tbh. My kids are too young to be affected by the recommendation but I just think it’s a horrible idea for primary kids.

SusanC10

Our youngest child (now in 6th Class) has been wearing Masks all the time inside the school building since the kids went back to school after the 1st Lockdown. Also in shops etc. No problem for her.

Aleppo_rex

Masks are no problem for older children. Lots wear them daily. Glad to see its finally being talked about.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118221405#Comment_118221405

Because schools are a politically sensitive topic.

One of Micheal Martin's core issues on taking office was the reopening of schools and keeping them open.

Therefore he will resist closing them again unless he has no other political option. What else has he achieved after all.

Marty Bird

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224721#Comment_118224721

I haven’t seen lots wear them maybe the odd one it’s a sad day when we normalise this theatre and nonsense.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224980#Comment_118224980

This... when this all started my (then 8 year old) son was having nightmares that he was going to kill his nanny with Covid.

That we're resorting to using young kids to cover HSE incompetence and placate fearful adults who should just stay home if they are that concerned is a new low IMO.

spaceHopper

This is getting hard,

Walking my kids to school this morning was like something out of 28 days later. So quite hardly anybody about. 

My daughter wearing her mask, she’s 8, her twin brother is sulking and falling behind. He had freak out and wants to wear a mask in school after he got the flu vaccine and had a sniffle, the GP told us it could happen and is OK, we let the teacher know. The SNA in the class said something along the lines of all children should be wearing mask and he just wants to be good for her. She probably shouldn't have said it but she's probably just scared.

Their teacher is only back after weeks off. There are 13 kids out of the class I know that one is way with his family on holiday so the rest are probably sick or close contacts – zero contact from the school, that’s not right, it’s not an GDPR issue to tell us about nits or chicken pox so why covid?  The schools ask parents to inform them if their child tests positive but won't do the same for them.

Now we have the SA variant that appears to be a doomsday mutant. I’m going back to bed, somebody wake me up when this ends please.

Lumen

My 14 y/old daughter said to me this morning "I can't really remember a time before COVID".

She's in 3rd year now but didn't even get one normal year in secondary school before it all kicked off.

political analyst

Going by what Prof Christine Loscher and the Children's Rights Alliance have said, could it be the case that the government's decision next Tuesday won't necessarily be to the letter of NPHET's advice?

https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2021/1126/1263238-coronavirus-ireland/

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224866#Comment_118224866

But, as a physician, Holohan's statements are motivated by concerns for health (physical and mental) rather than politics, aren't they?

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226130#Comment_118226130

Yes and health is just one facet of society. Politicians must consider all aspects of society and in order to do that they must politic.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118225175#Comment_118225175

Perhaps the discomfort that is caused to children who get nits or chickenpox and which justifies informing parents in general doesn't arise in most Covid cases. Even the Delta variant might not be as contagious as nits or chickenpox!

Maybe the numbers of cases will fall low enough by February to justify the lifting of the mask mandate in primary and secondary schools.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224721#Comment_118224721

I wonder what compliance is like among those children on school buses. 🙄

lulublue22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226283#Comment_118226283

PH decide what is a notifiable disease / condition in a school context not the school. Staff have raised the issue of headlice etc being notifiable and covid not on numerous occasions over the last 2 years - standard response has been PH do not want individuals identified. It is only within the last week or so that parents are being advised to let principals know of a case - prior to this there was no onus on parents to inform the school of a positive case.

lulublue22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226293#Comment_118226293

Compliance on our transport has been very high to be fair - I think at times people underestimate what children are capable of.

spaceHopper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226283#Comment_118226283

Schools ask parents to inform them if your child tests positive but won't return the favour. It's got nothing to do with severity of nits v covid it's the department not wanting to acknowledge the risk of going to school and intentionally hiding behind GDPR as a phony excuse. There are 13 kids out of my kids class today, some of that has to be covid. So telling us won't identify any child.

I get the kids need their education but there are ways for me to mitigate the risk of bring it down to my mother. Think we'll have no choice but to assume there is always a case in their class. I wonder will many parents take their kids out from the 10th of December so that they are safer to see the grandparents for Christmas

shesty

We got a letter from the school today, from the Dept saying notify the principal if you have a positive child, and the principal will notify close contacts of a case - similar to nits.

Then a whole lot of blather about antigen testing.Which made me laugh because my husband was named as a close contact back at Halloween and no antigens have appeared yet.He went ahead and sorted his own PCR anyway at the time.

I feel sorry for the poor kids in 3rd class and above.I don't care what age they are, this isn't right.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227224#Comment_118227224

Doesn't the possible risk to grandparents depend on whether or not the grandparents live in the same home as the children?

iamwhoiam

Basically in plain language young children are being asked to reduce social contacts and wear masks to protect the ICUs from being overloaded with the unvaccinated

Its absolutely crystal clear and a scandalous decision

political analyst

Have there been many incidences of non-compliance with the mask rule in secondary schools so far? If I remember correctly, someone on this forum said that some teachers at a school were not wearing masks.

Vaccinated30

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118224682#Comment_118224682

Good for her. She is choosing to. This is very different than making children wear them.

Ive spent the last 4 months reassuring my children that they probably will catch covid and not to be afraid because kids are not at risk, im not going to undo that and frighten them making them wear masks. Children are not responsible for keeping Adults safe.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118230414#Comment_118230414

I agree with you on this. One of my boys has chosen to wear a mask at times too but I would never ask him to.

completely against masks in schools. I’ll be getting my lads vaccinated asap though. They are just about to turn five.

tscul32

My youngest was just gone 8 when covid arrived and when masks came in he wore one too (the others are older so had to wear one anyway). The only place he didn't wear one was at school and that's where he caught covid last month. All my friends' and relatives' kids have worn masks all along and it's no big deal to them. My lad wore one to school yesterday.

But one of the teachers I was speaking to doesnt think it'll stop the child to child spread as they'll still be eating together without the masks and I don't think they'll have to wear them outside and they're all in each other's faces there anyway. But maybe it'll keep the staff safer?

MSVforever

Primary school kids had to deal with enough crap over the last 18 month. They're clearly not much at risk getting seriously ill from Covid so they should be left alone.

Parents are still protected from the vaccine and their grandparents can avail of booster shots so I don't see the point to go after young kids now.

tscul32

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118231023#Comment_118231023

Vaccines and boosters aren't stopping people getting it from kids.

Aleppo_rex

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118225175#Comment_118225175

I wonder are your anxieties being passed onto your children, who look to you to see how to behave.