Schools closed until February? (part 3)

https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/html5/#/radio1/21853716

She is great for the oul spiel

Dobo wasnt light with her but she ducked and bobbed with her answers

scouserstation wrote: »

Its just not feasable to test everybody not unless they bring out antigen testing or something similar, so for now yeah I think testing should be concentrated to areas where its needed most for now there's not enough evidence to support testing in schools en masse, and do you really want kids being off school for another prolonged period again with all the problems that brings, and for what? Because some teachers feel the government has some sort of secret agenda on not testing in schools?

I don't want kids out of school, believe me, working from home is much more appealing when my 3 are packed off for the day. Neither do i believe that resources need be targeted at schools, what im trying to illustrate is that we simply don't know how much transmission takes place in schools and to pretend we do is nonsense.
My fear is that because it is planned for schools to remain open, we are jeopardising the potential success of this lockdown. Two weeks tacked on to mid term break could have a huge difference and at no great impact, at least not compared to the effects on the economy, on hundreds of thousands of workers and on govt finances if numbers are not a level acceptable to nphet in 6 weeks time.
We're asking a massive amount from many people, is it wise to gamble like this?

irishblessing wrote: »

This is probably why Dr. Fauci said he didn't think it was possible for Ireland to keep schools open during a level 5. One of the worlds top infectious diseases experts.

I also believe another week should have been tacked on to midterm in the very least. Then using that time to roll out a blended remote learning plan. I also think we are jeopardising level 5 working and prolonging the pain.

From the same article:

"However, it notes mass closures would have an impact on the education and well-being of pupils.

It says such a measure could result in increases in domestic abuse, home accidents, and damage to child and adult mental health."

All for a moderate reduction in the R rate?

It was the wrong decision to close the schools in the North.

If the R number is for example 1.5 how is a reduction of 0.5 considered moderate?

In that article that 0.5 is the highest reduction listed.

Funsterdelux wrote: »

Anyone notice schools with the windows closed yesterday?

I know it was a dirty aul day but it wasnt cold, with the wind the windows could still have been cracked open a bit.

Definitely not in my room. Now I'm not actually in at the moment but I know the sub has the windows open as I've had emails from a few parents asking me could I ask the sub to close the windows!!!

My reply was that if I was in that the windows would be open as well. Also said to make sure that their children have appropriate layers of clothing on.

Talking on Claire Byrne about the possibility of the testing system falling apart and how there might be a need to narrow for a short while the criteria for getting a test which will then inevitably lead to large amounts of missed cases and further undetected spread. Vicious cycle really.

Lady from contact tracing/public health on saying that schools would always fall into the complex contact tracing category and that cases containing school children should always be contact traced by professionally trained tracers.

So they have effectively lost control (if they ever had any) of contact tracing in schools, it wasn't a malicious attempt to black list schools from testing, they just couldn't do it, yet they are firm in their resolve to keep them fully open as is..... With no information on safety. How is this not national bloody news, its an absolute disgrace.

facehugger99 wrote: »

Agreed, they need to publish figures on the number of teachers and pupils that have died from Covid since they opened schools in September.

I presume we are into dozens if not hundreds of fatalities at this stage.

What about the families and extended families of students and staff?

facehugger99 wrote: »

Agreed, they need to publish figures on the number of teachers and pupils that have died from Covid since they opened schools in September.

I presume we are into dozens if not hundreds of fatalities at this stage.

Nice trolling.

JDD wrote: »

In fairness, it would be good to know how many teachers have tested positive, and how many have been admitted to hospital, in the same way as they used to publish information on health care workers.

That poster was on about deaths, not cases.

Funsterdelux wrote: »

Anyone notice schools with the windows closed yesterday? Local primary had all that i could see closed.

I know it was a dirty aul day but it wasnt cold, with the wind the windows could still have been cracked open a bit.

This is the type of thing that can lead to superspreading like what happened in Isreal.

Not in my room, I have all windows and door open, am wearing thermals and jumpers and have hot water bottle for the bad days

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

So they have effectively lost control (if they ever had any) of contact tracing in schools, it wasn't a malicious attempt to black list schools from testing, they just couldn't do it, yet they are firm in their resolve to keep them fully open as is..... With no information on safety. How is this not national bloody news, its an absolute disgrace.

The thing is, it is not the tracers fault, there are 60 public health specialists in the country to train the tracers and they have been working flat out but they need more PH specialists and more tracers. People have applied filled out paperwok and not heard back to be tracers. The government have been aware of the issue with a shortage of PH specialists and not followed up on it.

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

That poster was on about deaths, not cases.

I know I know. But it would be good to know. The government sway with the views of the general populace, for the most part. If teachers are stating that they are putting their safety at risk, and are looking for for public backing for alternatives, it would certainly back up that statement if you could say X number of teachers have been hospitalised over the past month, and that is higher than other professions that are back working in their normal environment.

Of course, if there haven't been any hospitalisations, or less than say retail workers or delivery drivers, it probably won't be a useful statistic.

Additionally, it would be good to know how many close contacts of a child infected in a school setting have been hospitalised. Though I suppose if contact tracing has broken down they may not have that particular information.