China Coronavirus

[Smurfy123]

So Robbie wants a further 2 weeks restrictions even though numbers continue to go up? Would he not have a plan B up his sleeve here seeing as his plan A is not working?
Schools should close from the 11th of December and reopen on the 11th of January
Teachers to work through as normal and plan for the rest of the year.
Robbie needs to get his thinking cap on

[6th sam]

So Robbie wants a further 2 weeks restrictions even though numbers continue to go up? Would he not have a plan B up his sleeve here seeing as his plan A is not working?
Schools should close from the 11th of December and reopen on the 11th of January
Teachers to work through as normal and plan for the rest of the year.
Robbie needs to get his thinking cap on

And what about vulnerable children not being monitored and in a safe school environment for 4 weeks? Is there evidence that a 4 week school lockdown is likely to work? And what other restrictions do we maintain or remove at the same time?
Politicians here haven't covered themselves in glory over the years, but their job isn't easy at present and I wonder is the constant Stephen Nolan-type scrutiny and negativity, part of the reason why they are constantly reactive rather than pro-active? We are a year into this pandemic and it could go on, I'd like to see a bit more focus on a longer term strategy to protect the nhs from surges , protect the vulnerable , and have pragmatic measures which balance protecting overall health and economy against the direct effects of Covid. .

[Jeepers Creepers]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

[Milltown Row2]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

My daughters class just returned yesterday after a two week break due to an outbreak, other classes throughout the year have been in similar circumstances.

One outbreak stops 30 kids going to school for two weeks!

[Harold Disgracey]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54954964

[GetOverTheBar]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

Craigavon High had an outbreak of 50 positive tests and it was supressed in the media. I posted it a few days ago asking the question could you imagine if this was in a bar, it would have been sensationalised to the hilt.

Says it all really.

[Jeepers Creepers]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54954964

I know about that one but most secondary schools around me (and theres quite a few) had classes in & out on a loop post summer break. I haven't heared anything of that scale as yet post the halloween break?

[Milltown Row2]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-54954964

I know about that one but most secondary schools around me (and theres quite a few) had classes in & out on a loop post summer break. I haven't heared anything of that scale as yet post the halloween break?

Whereas I never heard about the school that shut but heard a lot about post match celebrations causing an outbreak and that it's 'taigs' that are super spreaders 

[RedHand88]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

Craigavon High had an outbreak of 50 positive tests and it was supressed in the media. I posted it a few days ago asking the question could you imagine if this was in a bar, it would have been sensationalised to the hilt.

Says it all really.

Surely you can see that schools are more important than pubs?

[GetOverTheBar]

I may be wrong but i haven't heard anywhere near the hullabaloo around covid in schools post halloween as there was previously returning from the summer break?

Craigavon High had an outbreak of 50 positive tests and it was supressed in the media. I posted it a few days ago asking the question could you imagine if this was in a bar, it would have been sensationalised to the hilt.

Says it all really.

Surely you can see that schools are more important than pubs?

I didn't say that. I'm just saying we know what the reaction to one would have been, whereas the other is brushed under the carpet and accepted.

Schools clearly are more important than pubs. But we are ruining these people, probably irreversibly at this stage while letting Covid play away in schools. It's becoming a nonsense as we can clearly see, Covid doesn't really tend to care if you take a pint in the local or run around a school. It's still going to infect.

[Harold Disgracey]

A second Portadown school has closed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus.

https://armaghi.com/news/portadown-news/second-portadown-school-closes-due-to-covid-outbreak/121709?fbclid=IwAR1FxD0KdrCndgd06CXD5dPJ2LjYdXWoZVYN6qp1woISxBtMF-75Own5X9M

[tbrick18]

A few points on schools.
My wife is a teacher in a primary school and they have a number of parents sending their kids to school even though they themselves have tested positive. The school finds out through other channels, such as other parents informing them.

They have had cases of parents sending kids to school while awaiting results of tests. One specific case, a parent dropped child off at the door and walked away, only to walk back 5 mins later to say her results had just come back and she's positive and so needs to take her kid home. Neither should have been out of the house when waiting results.

Several teachers and teaching assistants have had to go off with covid and/or isolating.

In all of these cases, no other children or staff were asked to isolate by the school (I dont actually know what should happen though).

Separately, I have two older kids in secondary school. Both have had close friends diagnose positive and in both cases neither of their classes were asked to isolate at home (again I dont know the regulations here).

My wife had an email last night from a teachers union asking teachers to inform the union if their principles had been asking them not to take tests or report isolated incidents of children testing positive. Apparently some head teachers are doing this.

So, what does all this mean?
Personally, I think we don't have a clear view on the problem from schools for a number of reasons. People are not taking responsibility and isolating themselves or family when they should be. They are not always informing the schools of testing or positive tests. And the schools, for what ever reason, are potentially not reporting all incidents or are not isolating class groups when they should be (based in anecdotal info).

Common sense would say that when large groups gather the risk of increasing the spread is higher. Just because this hasn't manifested itself in school closures doesn't necessarily mean schools shouldn't have been closed.

One thing that is clear, the health service is on its knees. The DUP in particular I feel have contributed to this greatly.
The wider public are not following the rules as stringently as they should be and there is a sizeable group of people who are not following any rules but their own.

[Jeepers Creepers]

A few points on schools.
My wife is a teacher in a primary school and they have a number of parents sending their kids to school even though they themselves have tested positive. The school finds out through other channels, such as other parents informing them.

They have had cases of parents sending kids to school while awaiting results of tests. One specific case, a parent dropped child off at the door and walked away, only to walk back 5 mins later to say her results had just come back and she's positive and so needs to take her kid home. Neither should have been out of the house when waiting results.

Several teachers and teaching assistants have had to go off with covid and/or isolating.

In all of these cases, no other children or staff were asked to isolate by the school (I dont actually know what should happen though).

Separately, I have two older kids in secondary school. Both have had close friends diagnose positive and in both cases neither of their classes were asked to isolate at home (again I dont know the regulations here).

My wife had an email last night from a teachers union asking teachers to inform the union if their principles had been asking them not to take tests or report isolated incidents of children testing positive. Apparently some head teachers are doing this.

So, what does all this mean?
Personally, I think we don't have a clear view on the problem from schools for a number of reasons. People are not taking responsibility and isolating themselves or family when they should be. They are not always informing the schools of testing or positive tests. And the schools, for what ever reason, are potentially not reporting all incidents or are not isolating class groups when they should be (based in anecdotal info).

Common sense would say that when large groups gather the risk of increasing the spread is higher. Just because this hasn't manifested itself in school closures doesn't necessarily mean schools shouldn't have been closed.

One thing that is clear, the health service is on its knees. The DUP in particular I feel have contributed to this greatly.
The wider public are not following the rules as stringently as they should be and there is a sizeable group of people who are not following any rules but their own.

This.

[Harold Disgracey]

A few points on schools.
My wife is a teacher in a primary school and they have a number of parents sending their kids to school even though they themselves have tested positive. The school finds out through other channels, such as other parents informing them.

They have had cases of parents sending kids to school while awaiting results of tests. One specific case, a parent dropped child off at the door and walked away, only to walk back 5 mins later to say her results had just come back and she's positive and so needs to take her kid home. Neither should have been out of the house when waiting results.

Several teachers and teaching assistants have had to go off with covid and/or isolating.

In all of these cases, no other children or staff were asked to isolate by the school (I dont actually know what should happen though).

Separately, I have two older kids in secondary school. Both have had close friends diagnose positive and in both cases neither of their classes were asked to isolate at home (again I dont know the regulations here).

My wife had an email last night from a teachers union asking teachers to inform the union if their principles had been asking them not to take tests or report isolated incidents of children testing positive. Apparently some head teachers are doing this.

So, what does all this mean?
Personally, I think we don't have a clear view on the problem from schools for a number of reasons. People are not taking responsibility and isolating themselves or family when they should be. They are not always informing the schools of testing or positive tests. And the schools, for what ever reason, are potentially not reporting all incidents or are not isolating class groups when they should be (based in anecdotal info).

Common sense would say that when large groups gather the risk of increasing the spread is higher. Just because this hasn't manifested itself in school closures doesn't necessarily mean schools shouldn't have been closed.

One thing that is clear, the health service is on its knees. The DUP in particular I feel have contributed to this greatly.
The wider public are not following the rules as stringently as they should be and there is a sizeable group of people who are not following any rules but their own.

This.

100% correct. People's ignorance/stupidity is the main reason for the high numbers in the north and elsewhere.

[thewobbler]

There are some people who lack any form of common sense. But they're the exception from what I can see, not the rule.

Everyone  I know is being cautious. There's no birthday parties behind closed doors. There's almost no unnecessary travel. If there's sibins in operation around here, they're ultra quiet. Obviously there's nobody meeting in restaurants or pubs.

If there's a "weakness" it's that some families have bubbles with other families, usually relations. Some have bubbles including grandparents. But they're small bubbles. And these are pretty much necessary bubbles if people are going to go to work.

The most likely cause of spread through these bubbles is from their kids, picking it up at school, and not showing any symptoms. Then spending hours at a time in an unsanitised home environment without masks or all the procedures we follow in workplaces, and shopping.

This is the obvious, underlying flaw in the current policies. Anyone in denial of it is a Covid fundamentalist. That's the underlying reason.

When 20% of our population mingle freely on a daily basis, blaming the wider public for not being more stringent is a cop out. It's lazy, fanciful thinking.