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So now ( in the North ) we can't take anymore than 15 pupils outside for non contact Pe but the same pupils, who will be in the same bubble, can go outside for break and lunch in numbers of more than 15 ?
Schools in the North received this gem this morning at 9.10.
2 weeks off and not a word and then they land this on a Monday morning .
They are just making this up as they go along.

And they tell us we are back in school cos there's little evidence of the virus spreading in school..

According to them it's not safe to play outside together for 30minutes but safe to sit together in close contact for the remainder of the day

They know fine well that that virus can spread in schools but they want parents able to go to their work..

Maybe some of 'they' want an education for all children.

I would have thought not - it appears to me that they have decided 2 weeks in the magic number, as such the end of term holiday should suffice. I would have thought if we are in a similar position by next mid term they would look at the extra week but by then it could hardly be recovered.

From a secondary teacher's experience, does blended learning work? Does it negatively affect kids from (for want of a better term) a lower socio economic background to a greater degree?

Has anything been done to facilitate future blended learning since returning to school full time?

[A natural blended learning manifests itself then.]

They said 2 weeks off school then said it'd take two weeks to see any benefit so how do you reassess at the end of two weeks...

If you're back then the time off was likely a waste of time. They'd need to be telling people soon though.

In relation to the north I see nothing further to the following press release;

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/news/statement-education-minister-peter-weir-covid-19-restrictions

Out of interest for those advocating against returning to school, what would that look like? Would you propose a blended learning set up - is that achievable? Assume if you are to propose such a thing there would still need to be some face to face time? Would such a set up in your opinion or experience lead to a 'class divide' as has been mentioned by commentators previously?

Is there any amount of acceptable risk, and mitigation against same? Or is the consensus that zero risk should be accepted?

With the ICU beds at a minimum then the risks are very high at the moment, some are advocating for acceptable deaths/risks but 2 weeks when the rest of the place is closed for 4 weeks seems to be a bit daft

I assume the intent was that as it is not an extra week holiday but is to be made up throughout the year (I think?) that any more than an extra week is unachievable.

I am not advocating anything, only attempting to understand what might that acceptable risk be, if Covid is going to remain for the remainder of the school year what should be done? Surely it is not conceivable that schools be shut for that time therefore what is the alternative? A 'firebreak' each term?

For me, until there is something put in place that allows for social distancing in schools, we are kidding ourselves that we can get a handle on Covid.
On top of that, we will continue to have pupils & teachers out of school in their droves on a conveyor belt of isolation. A natural blended learning manifests itself then.

It appears to me that this is the current position, try and muddle through as best we can.

They said 2 weeks off school then said it'd take two weeks to see any benefit so how do you reassess at the end of two weeks...

If you're back then the time off was likely a waste of time. They'd need to be telling people soon though.

In relation to the north I see nothing further to the following press release;

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/news/statement-education-minister-peter-weir-covid-19-restrictions

Out of interest for those advocating against returning to school, what would that look like? Would you propose a blended learning set up - is that achievable? Assume if you are to propose such a thing there would still need to be some face to face time? Would such a set up in your opinion or experience lead to a 'class divide' as has been mentioned by commentators previously?

Is there any amount of acceptable risk, and mitigation against same? Or is the consensus that zero risk should be accepted?

[would be recognised as our most successful clubs]

A serious question which might create a bit of debate! Hurling is a fantastic sport especially at the top level but for dual clubs is it really hard to balance hurling and football? Does hurling hamper hamper football or vice versa. In terms of SFC Kilcoo, Burren, Ford and the Bridge would be recognised as our most successful clubs, they do not have hurling, Is there a correlation? If Liatroim concentrated at one code where would they be at it? Certainly not in division 3 in football!
Should there not be a Mourne hurling club? Camogie seems very strong in that area.

In your opinion, and an opinion I assume based on recent senior football championship roll of honour.

It all depends on your bench mark. I am extremely proud of our ability in the most part to either field or contribute to teams in 4 different codes, as well as provide an outlet for around 40 under 5s in the fundamentals programme each Sunday morning (in the Summer months), and in what we as a club have provided by way of facilities to the local community.

As primarily a football man I would love nothing more than a senior championship win however notwithstanding that I believe I am a member of a very successful club.

As i stated "In terms of SFC Kilcoo, Burren, Ford and the Bridge would be recognised as our most successful clubs", in terms of providing facilities to communities and outlets for underage then I would say that 95% of clubs within our county our very successful. What i want to know do you think is hurling or football hampering your chances being more successful in terms of silverware. Would you sacrifice your hurling team to win a Frank O'Hare cup?

Apologies, you did. Also it was not intended to be a antagonistic response however it may read that way.

Would you sacrifice your hurling team to win a Frank O'Hare cup?

No, I wouldn't.

do you think is hurling or football hampering your chances being more successful in terms of silverware

I honestly don't believe that in terms of SFC we would be more successful if we were not a dual club (men) however there is no doubt it is a balancing act at underage, whereby due to playing numbers most age groups have an overlap and as such you may have a player playing 2 age grades and 2 sports, therefore 4 teams. As an U17 management we had our lads for 1hr a week (plus match) and that was after their 45 min/ 1hr of hurling, done in an effort to ensure parents weren't having to travel to the club every night. But I still believe that any excuse around lack of success due to dual status is only that, an excuse.

One for yourself, last year at U16 you had 2 teams entered in the A league I believe, both of whom walked their division - serious amount of talent coming through. While its a nice problem to have, how do you keep those 30-40 lads involved with the club through in to adulthood, and with such success where does the (for want of a better term) mediocre player fit in?

[would be recognised as our most successful clubs]

A serious question which might create a bit of debate! Hurling is a fantastic sport especially at the top level but for dual clubs is it really hard to balance hurling and football? Does hurling hamper hamper football or vice versa. In terms of SFC Kilcoo, Burren, Ford and the Bridge would be recognised as our most successful clubs, they do not have hurling, Is there a correlation? If Liatroim concentrated at one code where would they be at it? Certainly not in division 3 in football!
Should there not be a Mourne hurling club? Camogie seems very strong in that area.

In your opinion, and an opinion I assume based on recent senior football championship roll of honour.

It all depends on your bench mark. I am extremely proud of our ability in the most part to either field or contribute to teams in 4 different codes, as well as provide an outlet for around 40 under 5s in the fundamentals programme each Sunday morning (in the Summer months), and in what we as a club have provided by way of facilities to the local community.

As primarily a football man I would love nothing more than a senior championship win however notwithstanding that I believe I am a member of a very successful club.

The lockdown will kill people in the long term.

This is one of these slogans without any obvious basis in fact. How, exactly will the lockdown kill people in the long term? The economy is damaged anyway by the virus, the lockdown doesn't make it materially worse. Will the Chinese economy suffer more in the long term than US?

The likes of the following while not identifying specific deaths definitely supports the assertion that the risk of death through non Covid illness has increased;

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/30/charity-says-nearly-a-million-women-missed-breast-cancer-check

It seems the Zero COVID debate is dead. You can't keep flogging a dead horse.

There's never really been a proper debate about it

New Zealand shows it can work

Devi Sridhar said last week that the UK is now effectively pursuing its own zero Covid strategy

But the circumstances are different, I know from a construction perspective there are very few if any of the top tier contractors not plying their trade across the water, it was evident as soon as things were relaxed slightly the photograph of the Aer Lingus flight out of Belfast to Heathrow on a Monday morning (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-52539141).

As much as Michelle et al try to push the one island agenda it is not feasible, these 2 islands are intrinsically linked, and unless GB and Ireland decide on a joint zero Covid strategy (which they will not) I don't believe it is viable.   

[Hospital Inpatients]

616 new cases of #covid19 in N. Ireland.

Previous Mondays

Sept 28th:    +220
Sept 21st:    +125
Sept 14th:   +109
Sept 7th:     +141
Aug 31st:     +58
Aug 24th:    +10
Aug 17th:    +39
Aug 10th:    +76

Seven day rate per 100,000
NI Average: 192.9

Derry & Strabane: 533.6
Newry, M & Down: 321.3
Belfast: 241.2
Mid Ulster: 185.7
Antrim & Newtownabbey:117.1
Lisburn & Castlereagh: 116.4
Armagh, B & Craigavon: 116.1
Fermanagh & Omagh: 115.6

Hospital Inpatients

05/10/20   64
28/09/20   82
21/09/20   59
14/09/20   57
07/09/20   44
31/08/20   51

Are case numbers comparable? Has testing (at the current level) been constant for long enough to use as a barometer.

Surely it is hospitalisations and deaths which are the best comparisons? In the '1st wave' we have no idea how many cases there were.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/sweden/


8,800 cases per million
560 deaths per million.
26 Co figures :-
C.6,000
C.350

It's not a simple as that, you can never compare apples with apples. For example (statistica.com - no idea how accurate it is) Sweden has a median age of 41.3yo with ROI having a median age of 37.1yo, assume that is relevant in a disease that is more deadly to the elder population.

What is clear however is that if we continue to enact some form of lockdown, businesses will fail, unemployment will rise, revenue generated from taxation will fall and public services will suffer.

How many will then fall below the breadline or die as a result of increased waiting times. I do not have any answers but I understand why they are trying to keep businesses open while limiting visits to other homes.

In the meantime I will keep social distance, maintain good hygiene, wear a mask where required and support local businesses (hospitality included).

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not scenes in Tyrone and south Belfast will be used as reasons why we can't have nice things!

Apologies for misnaming Liatroim as it's Liatroim Gaels.  I still ask the question though, how can this club continue as usual?

Some clown. For clarity, this is not related to Liatroim Fontenoys, but a club in county Leitrim.

I would say your query would be best directed to Connacht GAA.

Former World Health Organisation director Prof Karol Sikora explains why the threat from the virus should drop after the peak is reached.

"If you go to Korea tomorrow, you'll find that the majority of people have had the virus - some of them won't even know they've had the virus - but they'll still be immune to it.

"Herd immunity grows, once it gets to 50% the virus has nowhere to go.

"At the moment, a person going out onto the street has the potential to infect up to 2.5 people with the virus

"But once other people around them become immune, there's nowhere for the virus to go, so the pandemic disappears and that's always the same with pandemics.

"The difficulty is to make that judgement call about when to let social distancing relax, to allow businesses to open, to allow the economy to grow."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-northern-ireland-52069262

Could our resident experts advise whether this is dangerous and as such should the Professor be sanctioned?

And where should the kids of front line staff go?

Where do they go down south?

So don't close the schools then. As it stands we will have about 60% of the school in.

But is 40% at home not better than 0% at home? Is it not all relative? Btw, I am not saying the action is correct but surely any limiting of contact is better than none?

And where should the kids of front line staff go?

I thinking about that during the week. How would that go?

Obv we need to beat Leitrim and what else needs to happen?

Beat Leitrim on Saturday night and Derry beat Longford on Sunday Down are promoted with a game to spare.

But if Down were to lose to Louth and Derry & Longford to win their last game it would be a 3 way tie and head to head would no longer be relevant, and it would come down to score difference, is that not the case?