Coronavirus

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Surely they will be safer next week logically than they are this week won’t they if the rest of the country is under lockdown?

How is the country locked down if 30 mucky kids plus staff can still sit in a class room for six hours and then go home to spread whatever they’ve caught there with their family? Who in turn will then go to work and spread it there.

The schools should not be open in a lock down situation. The teachers and staff should not be expected to risk their and their families health whilst parliamentarians do their work through Zoom.

Quoted from LH

How is the country locked down if 30 mucky kids plus staff can still sit in a class room for six hours and then go home to spread whatever they’ve caught there with their family? Who in turn will then go to work and spread it there.

The schools should not be open in a lock down situation. The teachers and staff should not be expected to risk their and their families health whilst parliamentarians do their work through Zoom.

Well you are entitled to your view but your description does not match any classroom I've heard of or seen on TV. There is the additional issue of the children of key workers too of course.

It only takes one kid or teacher to pass the virus to half the class.

Then the next day they can give it to the other half the class.

AND

They only find out they have got the virus when half the school go down with it.

Universities will be even worse because most of them don't think it will hurt them.

It's just not fair to say that the government aren't following their scientific advice. They are. Just a little bit late. Perhaps they should invest in faster pigeons so that they can do the shorter lockdowns when indicated instead of longer, less effective ones several weeks later?

Regarding the schools issue, even as the spouse of a secondary school teacher, I'm conflicted. A lot depends on what the actual scientific fact is and this isn't entirely clear as yet. It is thought (or at least the current scientific understanding is) that primary kids don't tend to spread the disease a great deal. However, it is also thought that the mid-teens onwards are almost as bad as adults in the superspreader stakes. With this in mind, by all means keep the primary schools open. For the secondary schools, I've seen suggestions that it might be an idea to get a couple/few year groups in for a couple of weeks whilst the other years are at home and then take turns in this manner. This would allow better and more efficient spacing to hopefully reduce the spread in school. Only problems is, or would still leave the teachers more exposed than is ideal.

Still too much guesswork going on despite the fact we're so many months into the pandemic

Quoted from promotion plaice

Leaving politics out of it Boris is just following expert advice and trying to do his best for all.

Pity he didn't take the advice offered a month ago,

Quoted from Maringer

It's just not fair to say that the government aren't following their scientific advice. They are. Just a little bit late. Perhaps they should invest in faster pigeons so that they can do the shorter lockdowns when indicated instead of longer, less effective ones several weeks later?

Regarding the schools issue, even as the spouse of a secondary school teacher, I'm conflicted. A lot depends on what the actual scientific fact is and this isn't entirely clear as yet. It is thought (or at least the current scientific understanding is) that primary kids don't tend to spread the disease a great deal. However, it is also thought that the mid-teens onwards are almost as bad as adults in the superspreader stakes. With this in mind, by all means keep the primary schools open. For the secondary schools, I've seen suggestions that it might be an idea to get a couple/few year groups in for a couple of weeks whilst the other years are at home and then take turns in this manner. This would allow better and more efficient spacing to hopefully reduce the spread in school. Only problems is, or would still leave the teachers more exposed than is ideal.

Still too much guesswork going on despite the fact we're so many months into the pandemic

That is the key. Looking back at the Whitty/Valance doombook very little of it has happened at the level their science predicted. Is this time any different? Boris dare not take the chance and I don’t blame him for that. Who would want to take the chance?

Nevertheless my sceptical mind is unconvinced by the two clowns advising him. If the infection rates go down they will claim credit. What we don’t know is whether they would go down without lockdown, their predictions are always one way. That is what is so annoying but there is nothing we can do because we are in the same boat as Boris regrettably.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

[/color]

That is the key. Looking back at the Whitty/Valance doombook very little of it has happened at the level their science predicted. Is this time any different? Boris dare not take the chance and I don’t blame him for that. Who would want to take the chance?

Nevertheless my sceptical mind is unconvinced by the two clowns advising him. If the infection rates go down they will claim credit. What we don’t know is whether they would go down without lockdown, their predictions are always one way. That is what is so annoying but there is nothing we can do because we are in the same boat as Boris regrettably.

Comical post.
A random person on an internet forum referring to the scientists as "clowns".
You do realise that SAGE which Mr Whitty is a part of is a collection of persons & its not just fed in to Government via him and Mr Vallance?
Obviously feel free to furnish the information that "very little of it has happened at the level their science predicted".

This prediction certainly was exceeded:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-idUSKBN21F0HV

Quoted from Stadium

Comical post.
A random person on an internet forum referring to the scientists as "clowns".
You do realise that SAGE which Mr Whitty is a part of is a collection of persons & its not just fed in to Government via him and Mr Vallance?
Obviously feel free to furnish the information that "very little of it has happened at the level their science predicted".

This prediction certainly was exceeded:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-idUSKBN21F0HV

I think you can quote anything from March about any country and find it was underestimated. I am not going to try and itemise Sage doom and gloom predictions because that is exactly the silly distraction the Boris bashers like to get involved with. I don’t like him either but it’s neither here nor there. Of course we know Whitty/Valance are front men but that does not make them infallible and it does not mean they do not have an agenda and that agenda is single mindedly to give the worst case scenario. It is their job to do that. My problem with it is that they present it as inevitable truth in a situation where clearly all is moot, scientific, economic, social or political. They represent only one strand of decision making. I call them clowns because they stand there and promulgate theirs as the only opinion worthy of consideration. Just because it is called SAGE does not guarantee it is wise.

Ironically, we had to shut school prior to half term for a positive Covid test, staff member likely picked it up watching his kid play football down the park...no positive tests of pupils or remaining staff...

Funnily enough, like every type of virus there is a likelihood you’ll pick it up anywhere, the suggestion with this one is it’s easier to catch it and the suggestion is places with high concentrations of folk will increase that risk.

I’m fed of up hearing about it now, I appreciate it fills a lot of column inches and is pertinent but it becomes tiresome and grinds you down. My entire time the school wasn’t open wasn’t actually worrying about Covid but the safeguarding concerns for a number of my kids and the phone calls fielded from social workers, police, worried parents and so on. However, one can naturally see the reasons/importance to shut the school/s.

It’s very obvious the government have been making it up as they go along and continue to do so. I’d imagine numbers will decrease in the next 4 weeks, they’ll naturally creep up after the so called lockdown is lifted and repeat process...a vaccine may help but only so far.

Surely it is now time to look at longer term risk minimisation strategies, popping in to lockdown every month or so isn’t workable on so many levels. That said, assuming the government have any ability to even attempt creating a plan is probably optimistic...

That said, after I return to school next week I’m expecting to have to shut again with 2 weeks. Our geographical position means our staff travel from all over rather than live in the town the school is positioned.

Quoted from Stadium

Comical post.
A random person on an internet forum referring to the scientists as "clowns".
You do realise that SAGE which Mr Whitty is a part of is a collection of persons & its not just fed in to Government via him and Mr Vallance?
Obviously feel free to furnish the information that "very little of it has happened at the level their science predicted".

This prediction certainly was exceeded:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-britain-idUSKBN21F0HV

Unfortunately this is what happens when TV news organisations, in an attempt at being balanced and impartial, have a scientific expert with a lifetime of experience on a panel against a bloke who runs a pub chain or an airline and gives their varying opinion the same weight.