How will schools be able to go back in September? (Continued)

Jimi H wrote: »

Was talking to a neighbour yesterday who is a PE (is it still called PE?) teacher in a large Dublin school. He said they haven’t been given any direction as to what happens if a student says they have symptoms. What actually should happen? Anyway, he’s expecting a lot of the students to be coughing away behind the masks and said it will be impossible to manage.

Children will cough. One cough does not equal having symptoms. People will cough because they have a tickle in their throat, they swallowing food or drink the wrong way etc. Be realistic! As an asthmatic I cough all the time but I’m not sick. Good respiratory hygiene, social distancing where possible and masks at secondary will help a lot.

If a child is showing symptoms (temperature, coughing a few times etc) they will be brought to an isolation area - we are going to use a small former learning support room. Parents will be contacted to collect. Parents will get many of these phone calls this year. The majority of children will simply have a cough or a cold. Or a chest infection etc. Normally we would encourage these children to be at school. This year they will need to be at home.

We have two rooms designated as isolation rooms, with the sheltered porch area at front door being used as last resort.

JDD wrote: »

I guess if two or three kids start showing symptoms at the same time (not impossible in a big school) they'll have to keep them two metres apart in the ventilated isolation room, with masks on. Presumably a teacher has to watch them? You couldn't keep a junior infant or first class kid in a room on their own for two hours waiting for a parent to pick them up.

Sucks for the poor teacher. You'd definitely need to be wearing PPE then.

One case per isolation room I think. Otherwise an actual case cud be given to non-cases

glack wrote: »

Children will cough. One cough does not equal having symptoms. People will cough because they have a tickle in their throat, they swallowing food or drink the wrong way etc. Be realistic! As an asthmatic I cough all the time but I’m not sick. Good respiratory hygiene, social distancing where possible and masks at secondary will help a lot.

If a child is showing symptoms (temperature, coughing a few times etc) they will be brought to an isolation area - we are going to use a small former learning support room. Parents will be contacted to collect. Parents will get many of these phone calls this year. The majority of children will simply have a cough or a cold. Or a chest infection etc. Normally we would encourage these children to be at school. This year they will need to be at home.

I think he was implying that the messers will be coughing away whether they have a cough or not.

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

One case per isolation room I think. Otherwise an actual case cud be given to non-cases

But what if you have two suspected cases and no further empty rooms? Put them out in the yard in the freezing winter to wait two hours for their parents to arrive? There has to be some sense applied. If there is a kid with actual covid symptoms, you can be sure they've given it to most of their 25+ class during the 3-5 days they were asymptomatic. One or two more won't make a difference. It sounds flippant, but that's the reality.

JDD wrote: »

But what if you have two suspected cases and no further empty rooms? Put them out in the yard in the freezing winter to wait two hours for their parents to arrive? There has to be some sense applied. If there is a kid with actual covid symptoms, you can be sure they've given it to most of their 25+ class during the 3-5 days they were asymptomatic. One or two more won't make a difference. It sounds flippant, but that's the reality.

More than one wud need another office or whatever vacated. I'm not defending it, just saying what's to happen

sounds like Ireland is doing great at the moment:


Europe reporting 26,000 new coronavirus cases every day - WHO
European countries are registering an average 26,000 new cases of coronavirus every day, the director general of the World Health Organization’s Europe office has said, as he warned of a potential resurgence of the pandemic.

In a briefing on Thursday morning, Hans Kluge said that while the “epicentre” of the pandemic had moved to the Americas, the European region still accounted for 17% of the global total of coronavirus cases. He said:

The risk of resurgence has never been far away. In the last two months, new cases have been steadily increasing every week in the Region. There were 40,000 more cases in the first week of August, compared to the first week of June, when cases were at their lowest.

Every day now the European Region reports an average of over 26,000 new [coronavirus] cases. This is due in part to the relaxation of public health and social measures, where authorities have been easing some of the restrictions and people have been dropping their guard.

Kluge said WHO Europe would convene a virtual meeting for its 53 member states on reopening of schools, to discuss “concrete actions … to ensure children receive proper education in safe settings.”

Such options might include heightened hygiene and physical distancing in school settings for all, and the introduction of targeted measures quickly and effectively to suit local circumstances; open schools where virus levels are low; adjust school schedules and limit pupil numbers where cases are more widespread; and consider keeping schools closed temporarily in areas where community transmission is high.

Young people would play an increasingly important role in attempts to curb the spread of the virus, Kluge said.

To my daughters, to adolescents and teenagers everywhere, to all of you at that exciting, adventurous point in your lives – thank you for the sacrifices you have made to protect yourselves and others from #COVID19.

No youngster wants to miss a summer. But I am very concerned that more and more young people are counted among reported cases.

According to a recent study, globally among those aged 15-24, cases of COVID-19 have increased from a rate of 4.5% at the end of February to 15% in mid-July. Low risk does not mean no risk.

No one is invincible and if you do not die from #COVID19, it may stick with your body like a tornado with a long tail.

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

And arguably, along with health, the most important one in the new government. Surely Martin should have been putting one of his best people into the job, even taking it on himself if he didn't have anyone with the requisite competence and experience.

Agree 100%, not the time to be cutting your teeth in education ministry. McHugh wasn't much better to be fair

Assetbacked wrote: »

That seems to be completely unworkable. It means, just for the child to receive a negative test, they need to miss a day to get home, book the test, take the test, wait a few more days and then get the all clear. From being picked up to getting the all clear it could be 5 days out of school every time this happens!

Yes. You are right. And I’m sure parents are really concerned about this. Particularly those who are working.

But the bigger issue is the staff!!! At primary level, most teachers take sick leave sparingly. It’s often not worth missing a day or two because you have a bad cold - generally creates chaos for the teacher when they get back. So they go into school with sore throats/no voice, coughs, colds etc and struggle through as in the long run, the teacher and class are better off. This year that cannot happen. Personally as an asthmatic I could end up missing weeks of work. I spend at least 4/5 weeks a year coughing persistently. Not sick, just an asthma flare up. Generally it is manageable and I go into work anyway. This year I will have to stay home.

There will be a huge substitution shortage. It is the biggest challenge facing schools in order to stay open.

JDD wrote: »

I guess if two or three kids start showing symptoms at the same time (not impossible in a big school) they'll have to keep them two metres apart in the ventilated isolation room, with masks on.

EDIT: though I should say in the vast vast majority of these suspected cases, it will just be a cold.

That's the thing though. You can't take a chance that it is only a cold. Once someone has the symptoms, it has to be assumed that it is COVID-19 until it is proven otherwise.

It'll be a nightmare because every one of us go around coughing and spluttering for several weeks each winter.