Coronavirus- All schools to close? [MOD NOTE POST 346

RebelButtMunch

daheff wrote: »

how will schools closing help at this stage? 99.999999% of people are not infected.

Nobody is actually spreading the infection in schools right now.

And that's the point of closing the schools down BEFORE the kids are spreading the infection. Once a kid is diagnosed with it, they probably have been spreading it around the school for a couple of days.

drunkmonkey

km79 wrote: »

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/coronavirus-speculation-that-schools-could-shut-over-outbreak-dismissed-987029.html

It's Tuesday, were talking about closures in a week's time, the situation will have evolved by then, we'll have cases all over the country confirmed.
The article doesn't say it won't happen.

ted1

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

And that's the point of closing the schools down BEFORE the kids are spreading the infection. Once a kid is diagnosed with it, they probably have been spreading it around the school for a couple of days.

Only 24 people have it in Ireland. Closing the schools in premature. This could go on for a year +

drunkmonkey

ted1 wrote: »

Only 24 people have it in Ireland. Closing the schools in premature. This could go on for a year +

We have 24 confirmed. That's not to say we only have 24.

km79

drunkmonkey wrote: »

It's Tuesday, were talking about closures in a week's time, the situation will have evolved by then, we'll have cases all over the country confirmed.
The article doesn't say it won't happen.

Since this has started I have felt we would close for the two weeks before easter along with Easter
Still think that’s the most likely scenario
But things can change/are changing quickly so who knows
Might just shut down from paddys day on alright
For the sake of 3 more days if they think it helps

linguist

Here is this afternoon's statement from the DES.

"The Department of Education and Skills is liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis.

Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point. It is essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate.

Public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken. Schools should not take unilateral action.

Schools, pre-schools and higher education settings have been provided with advice and guidance in respect of Covid-19. There is up to date guidance for schools and parents on education.ie/covid19.

The Department is deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community.

This is an evolving situation and the health advice is being updated on a daily basis. The Department of Education and Skills and Department of Health will continue to work closely together on this issue."

Can you believe that there is not one mention of the health or wellbeing of teachers in this statement? We are literally being thrown to the dogs on this as regards the decision-making process. What about teachers who have vulnerable family members etc? But even the sheer insensitivity of a Department of Education that completely omits to mention the wellbeing of its teachers at a time like this. Very poor form.

km79

168 dead in Italy. TODAY

rainbowtrout

linguist wrote: »

Here is this afternoon's statement from the DES.

"The Department of Education and Skills is liaising closely with the Department of Health on a continuing basis.

Any decision to close schools will be made on public health advice. There is no such advice at this point. It is essential that any decisions regarding responses to Covid-19 are proportionate, necessary and based on specific public health advice. No other response is appropriate.

Public health professionals will contact schools if there is any action to be taken. Schools should not take unilateral action.

Schools, pre-schools and higher education settings have been provided with advice and guidance in respect of Covid-19. There is up to date guidance for schools and parents on education.ie/covid19.

The Department is deeply conscious of the significance of decisions concerning school closures, and the potential impact any such decisions would have on parents, families and the wider community.

This is an evolving situation and the health advice is being updated on a daily basis. The Department of Education and Skills and Department of Health will continue to work closely together on this issue."

Can you believe that there is not one mention of the health or wellbeing of teachers in this statement? We are literally being thrown to the dogs on this as regards the decision-making process. What about teachers who have vulnerable family members etc? But even the sheer insensitivity of a Department of Education that completely omits to mention the wellbeing of its teachers at a time like this. Very poor form.

They had to make that statement because there are plenty of people online spreading rumours that schools are going to close when no such announcement has been made.

If people keep spreading rumours they will have to keep making such statements.

ted1

km79 wrote: »

168 dead in Italy. TODAY

20 people died in Ireland today from smoking. No mass panic.

TheValeyard

Anyone else's schools suddenly have App pop up on the teachers page for video links, conference calls, etc?

ThePott

ted1 wrote: »

20 people died in Ireland today from smoking. No mass panic.

In no way is this the same scenario.

Purefrank128

There is also no mention of students in the statement. The statement is about schools. I think we can safely assume that everyone schools are populated, in the main, by students and teachers.

linguist wrote: »

Can you believe that there is not one mention of the health or wellbeing of teachers in this statement? We are literally being thrown to the dogs on this as regards the decision-making process. What about teachers who have vulnerable family members etc? But even the sheer insensitivity of a Department of Education that completely omits to mention the wellbeing of its teachers at a time like this. Very poor form.

Riskymove

ThePott wrote: »

In no way is this the same scenario.

This was just a couple of months ago and people dying

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/flu-season-deaths-ireland-2019-21189972

where was the reaction then?

similar every year

there was a report only recently about the increases in measles and mumps and hardly an eyelid batted

km79

ted1 wrote: »

20 people died in Ireland today from smoking. No mass panic.

Which is why I chose not to smoke
And not to surround myself with those that do

Anyway
http://twitter.com/JCforTeachers/status/1237434473064673281

Riskymove

linguist wrote: »

Can you believe that there is not one mention of the health or wellbeing of teachers in this statement?

the statement says they will follow health advice. a school is a building, the health advice is obviously about the risk to the people in the school

if they got advice that teachers (and indeed students) wellbeing was at risk then they'd take action

ThewhiteJesus

I have kids doing exams so I hope not,
Mass panic isn’t helping, if I was religious I’d nearly believe it was gods will we are out growing the earth

ted1

ThePott wrote: »

In no way is this the same scenario.

It’s a fair comparison, One is easily preventable and for a minimal price yet nothing is done. And there’s no mass hysteria.

The other one only 24 people in Ireland have and in most cases it’s just a fever

ThePott

Riskymove wrote: »

This was just a couple of months ago and people dying
https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/flu-season-deaths-ireland-2019-21189972
where was the reaction then?
similar every year
there was a report only recently about the increases in measles and mumps and hardly an eyelid batted

Well;
A) We have flu vaccines. We do not have a Coronavirus vaccine atm.

It's 19 deaths in a year. Not saying this is not a shocking number but over a year, it's less alarming. This has the possibility of being far more serious.

I'm not saying people aren't being alarmist but people writing this off as just a flu are the opposite extreme. The truth lies somewhere in the middle but exercising caution would be preferable to any loss of life.

ThePott

ted1 wrote: »

It’s a fair comparison, One is easily preventable and for a minimal price yet nothing is done. And there’s no mass hysteria.
The other one only 24 people in Ireland have and in most cases it’s just a fever

You just compared death statistics of smoking to a virus. How is that in anyway comparable?

People who die of smoking die of the effects smoking has on the body generally after years of exposure.

You coming into contact with a smoker won't give you a deadly illness and certainly not instantaneously. You might get second hand smoke but you're not gonna be infected with a virus of some kind.

No one is saying Coronavirus is the number one killer in the country but one is a side-effect from people's actions the other can be caused through inaction if they were to come into contact with someone effected by it.

They're very different situations, give over. If you have an issue with the media coverage that would be a different matter but these are clearly different cases and should be handled differently.

20Cent

The schools need to close asap, this is going to go downhill very quickly.

km79

10 new cases just confirmed
So numbers are doubling
Time to act

ThewhiteJesus

20Cent wrote: »

The schools need to close asap, this is going to go downhill very quickly.

How many school going kids have been infected worldwide ?

Widdensushi

how are the 34 confirmed patients ?Are they in ICU ?

Widdensushi

km79 wrote: »

10 new cases just confirmed
So numbers are doubling
Time to act

would that not be 24 new cases

20Cent

ThewhiteJesus wrote: »

How many school going kids have been infected worldwide ?

Dunno, but it's doubling every few days do the maths. It's not kids I'm worried about it's their parents and grandparents.

solerina

Bobtheman wrote: »

Unless the state wants to fund a personal computer for me and every other secondary teachers they can fxxxx off insisting on teachers working from home. All a teacher can say is they don't own one.
However I can see union /government talks on some flexibility. Ie we might start back in early August.
We saw during the crash you just need a bit of emergency legislation to move teachers in the" right " direction.
Anything I do from home will be voluntary

I must agree with the fact that we should be provided with a laptop of similar, we were given a PC each by a previous principal but that’s more than 10years age so all are no obsolete, even after many, many requests we have not been given any technology, a PC per room was purchased but practically no one uses them as you can’t prepare work on them. We are miserably equipped to work from home in my school anyway. To add to that my home internet access can be very hit and miss.

Sam Quentin

If all schools should close(which I think is nonsense)then all offices and factories should close also!?
I can't think of anything worse to happen to any Country,bar a nuclear bomb.....

Treppen

solerina wrote: »

I must agree with the fact that we should be provided with a laptop of similar, we were given a PC each by a previous principal but that’s more than 10years age so all are no obsolete, even after many, many requests we have not been given any technology, a PC per room was purchased but practically no one uses them as you can’t prepare work on them. We are miserably equipped to work from home in my school anyway. To add to that my home internet access can be very hit and miss.

Schools were given thousands in IT funding in the last 3 years in 3 installments. Where did the money go?

Cee-Jay-Cee

If they close the schools then they also need to introduce legislation or something to ensure we haven’t got hoards of teenagers roaming around towns and shopping centres while they’re off as that will negate the reason for closing schools. Parents need to be made responsible in some way...but I have no idea how that would work or be enforceable.

wassie

ted1 wrote: »

It’s a fair comparison, One is easily preventable and for a minimal price yet nothing is done. And there’s no mass hysteria.

The other one only 24 people in Ireland have and in most cases it’s just a fever

I think the point is being missed that this virus has the potential to completely over-run the health system should it not be contained. Thats why every country is worried.

solerina

Treppen wrote: »

Schools were given thousands in IT funding in the last 3 years in 3 installments. Where did the money go?

IT equipment was bought but it was put into classrooms and specialist rooms, it is minimally used as most people can’t prepare work on them, used to show powerpoints etc that have been prepared elsewhere. We asked for personal computers which could be used to prepare work as well as show powerpoints but the boss was having none of it...money has all been wasted imo.

ThewhiteJesus

20Cent wrote: »

Dunno, but it's doubling every few days do the maths. It's not kids I'm worried about it's their parents and grandparents.

So how can you do the maths ?

Treppen

solerina wrote: »

IT equipment was bought but it was put into classrooms and specialist rooms, it is minimally used as most people can’t prepare work on them, used to show powerpoints etc that have been prepared elsewhere. We asked for personal computers which could be used to prepare work as well as show powerpoints but the boss was having none of it...money has all been wasted imo.

There should still have been enough. Was it one room that was fully kitted out with new desktops? Could you give a ballpark of how many new devices ye got?
1. Write a letter to the minister of education office outlining this. Get a reply.
2. If you ever have an inspection refuse outright to project any slides or use IT. Get that letter to the inspector through a Union rep.

Widdensushi

What will happen if all these teenagers are told to stay at home. For many people who are working proper supervision will be impossible to arrange. They are not going to stay at home. Schools closing has to happen at the same time as a shutdown of the country, similar to Italy.

iguana

ThewhiteJesus wrote: »

So how can you do the maths ?

On average it has very close to doubled every two days since the first confirmed case on Feb 29th. That's actually terrible as exponential growth every two days is disastrous if it isn't slowed dramatically.

Icyseanfitz

10 cases today, surely they have to look at closing now

20Cent

Exponential growth is very scary. The numbers rise very rapidly. Put a grain of rice on the first square if a chessboard. Two on the next four in the next and so fourth doubling each time. The 64 th square will have 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains of rice on it.

rainbowtrout

iguana wrote: »

On average it has slightly more than doubled every two days since the first confirmed case on Feb 29th. That's actually terrible as exponential growth every two days is disastrous if it isn't slowed dramatically.

Well of the 10 new cases today, 5 of them are from travel to an affected area (I presume Italy). All of the other 5 cases are connected to the existing cases. It would be far worse if cases were popping up randomly that could not be traced and were in parts of the country where the virus had not been found so far.


Today's cases.

A male healthcare worker in the south who contracted the illness in hospital
A female healthcare worker in the south who contracted the illness in hospital
Three men from the south – associated with travel from affected area
One man in the west – linked to contact with a confirmed case
A woman in the west – associated with contact with a confirmed case
A woman in the south – associated with contact with a confirmed case
A man in the east who had travelled to an affected area
A woman in the east who had travelled to an affected area

iguana

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Well of the 10 new cases today, 5 of them are from travel to an affected area (I presume Italy). All of the other 5 cases are connected to the existing cases. It would be far worse if cases were popping up randomly that could not be traced and were in parts of the country where the virus had not been found so far.

Our testing guidelines specifically only say they will test if you have come from an effected area or have close contact with a confirmed case. We really have no idea what kind of community spread we have. With 3 community spread cases already identified in 2 parts of the country, the strong likelihood is that we're seeing the tip of the iceberg. I'd love to be wrong but it would make Ireland amazingly special.

Icyseanfitz

but it makes you wonder if they are just contact tracing who they suspect might certainly have it based on travel etc. while leaving others with symptoms untested due to not travelling etc. My partner was at the GP yesterday with some cold/flu like symptoms, she wasnt even asked if she was travelling or looked at with regards to corona virus.

TheValeyard

Weepsie wrote: »

Thousands doesn't buy a lot you know. Primary school near me has teachers using close to 15 year old laptops. They just about function so they've had their money's worth. School has a handful of iPads, but you're relying on families and kids to have the same type of equipment and ease of access to internet as each other.

Teaching online, etc just isn't feasible in the same way it would be for colleges and unis who have dedicated it teams and HEAnet behind them to support them

Well I'm just wondering how do I teach from home if creche is closed and you have Toddlers running around the house.

jimmytwotimes 2013

As regards days owed. If schools close next week until Easter finishes, most schools lose 13 days (Patrick's weekend is 4-day weekend for most schools). If we push LC back a week, schools can gain 5 of those days back.

Reduce house exams to class tests and you save more class contact time.

There wud be less than 8 teaching days lost. Overall, this would not be a bad outcome for 5 weeks of a shutdown and hopefully slow the virus in return.

Orals to take place at end of written exams in late June/early July. Results for these could be returned immediately to Dept. This, most importantly, gives students a definite idea of what's ahead of them and they can plan accordingly regarding study.

Widdensushi

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

As regards days owed. If schools close next week until Easter finishes, most schools lose 13 days (Patrick's weekend is 4-day weekend for most schools). If we push LC back a week, schools can gain 5 of those days back.

Reduce house exams to class tests and you save more class contact time.

There wud be less than 8 teaching days lost. Overall, this would not be a bad outcome for 5 weeks of a shutdown and hopefully slow the virus in return.

Orals to take place at end of written exams in late June/early July. Results for these could be returned immediately to Dept. This, most importantly, gives students a definite idea of what's ahead of them and they can plan accordingly regarding study.

it is unlikely that the schools will open that soon once they close.

bladespin

Trying to be 'real' about this and avoid the hysteria:

km79 wrote: »

168 dead in Italy. TODAY

Italy has a very old population (second oldest in the world I think) so it would be badly affected by anything like Covid19, they also let the virus run rampant through hospitals in the early days, absolute disaster scenario.

km79 wrote: »

10 new cases just confirmed
So numbers are doubling
Time to act

This is very normal for any 'new' virus, it's how soon the numbers plateau that's important in my opinion.

Widdensushi wrote: »

how are the 34 confirmed patients ?Are they in ICU ?

No, some are in hospital quarantine others are home and self isolating under supervision according to reports.

20Cent wrote: »

Dunno, but it's doubling every few days do the maths. It's not kids I'm worried about it's their parents and grandparents.

This, for the average person this is nothing more than a bad flu, it's the vulnerable we should be concerned for.

ThewhiteJesus

iguana wrote: »

On average it has very close to doubled every two days since the first confirmed case on Feb 29th. That's actually terrible as exponential growth every two days is disastrous if it isn't slowed dramatically.

Of school going children ? How many confirmed cases ?

jimmytwotimes 2013

Widdensushi wrote: »

it is unlikely that the schools will open that soon once they close.

Can only plan and then reassess

Widdensushi

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Can only plan and then reassess

or leave them open and reassess at easter,the days will be getting longer, those who feel vulnerable can self isolate for now.By the sounds of it we don't have anyone seriously ill from this in the country yet.

drunkmonkey

TheValeyard wrote: »

Well I'm just wondering how do I teach from home if creche is closed and you have Toddlers running around the house.

You hire someone from the creche to come work for you while it's closed. I wouldn't hesitate I've already done it. Staff are being told to isolate themselves and not go work for families so I'd have a quite word in the morning with one of them.

ted1

20Cent wrote: »

The schools need to close asap, this is going to go downhill very quickly.

Why schools , many offices are bigger than schools ? Shopping centres ?

solerina

Treppen wrote: »

There should still have been enough. Was it one room that was fully kitted out with new desktops? Could you give a ballpark of how many new devices ye got?
1. Write a letter to the minister of education office outlining this. Get a reply.
2. If you ever have an inspection refuse outright to project any slides or use IT. Get that letter to the inspector through a Union rep.

No, every room got one PC, 5 laptops and 5 tablets were also bought. The PCs in the rooms just don’t get used much, we don’t have base classrooms so everyone is constantly moving so individual laptops would have been much better value for money.