Schools closed until February? (part 3)

khalessi

combat14 wrote: »

Under pressure HSE may have to stop offering Covid-19 testing to people who have symptoms

The HSE is under such pressure that it may have to stop offering a Covid-19 testing to everyone in the coming weeks who has symptoms, Independent.ie has learned.

The testing and tracing system is becoming increasingly overwhelmed to the point where the automatic test for everyone who is suspected of having the lethal virus may have to be abandoned.

Instead, targeted testing of particular groups – such as older people – may have to be introduced.

https://m.independent.ie/news/under-pressure-hse-may-have-to-stop-offering-covid-19-testing-to-people-who-have-symptoms-39927133.html


looks like game over for schools opening if end of testing happens.......

no covid testing no schools

My copped on head is going enough is enough schools have to close, cant open without track and trace. We can't have children or staff in school symptomatic or asymptomatic and then also who are their close contacts?

My sarky side goes, oh look!! no testing, drop in number of cases ohh school can open.

Bananaleaf

khalessi wrote: »

My copped on head is going enough is enough schools have to close, cant open without track and trace. We can't have children or staff in school symptomatic or asymptomatic and then also who are their close contacts?

My sarky side goes, oh look!! no testing, drop in number of cases ohh school can open.

Your sarky side should really think about going into politics!

combat14

khalessi wrote: »

My copped on head is going enough is enough schools have to close, cant open without track and trace. We can't have children or staff in school symptomatic or asymptomatic and then also who are their close contacts?

My sarky side goes, oh look!! no testing, drop in number of cases ohh school can open.

the unions will direct teachers to remote teach online if testing system has collapsed to that extent

wirelessdude01

combat14 wrote: »

the unions will direct teachers to remote teach online if testing system has collapsed to that extent

The three unions cannot agree what day of the week it is much less a cohesive and collective strategy. I say that as someone who is heavily involved at branch and district level within the INTO.

Locotastic

combat14 wrote: »

looks like game over for schools opening if end of testing happens.......

no covid testing no schools

More a case of no covid testing, no covid cases.

Testing older/vulnerable people is becoming the priority and that they aren't concerned enough to keep testing people who don't fall into that category even if they have symptoms.

Less testing also means less cases, so once they are happy with numbers schools will be expected to open.

NPHET have not recommend schools close, they didn't even recommend the current 3 day extension.

“The NPHET was of the view that schools should reopen as planned,” said Holohan.

You see what's happening here?

khalessi

Locotastic wrote: »

More a case of no covid testing, no covid cases.

Testing older/vulnerable people is becoming the priority and that they aren't concerned enough to keep testing people who don't fall into that category even if they have symptoms.

Less testing also means less cases, so once they are happy with numbers schools will be expected to open.

NPHET have not recommend schools close, they didn't even recommend the current 3 day extension.

“The NPHET was of the view that schools should reopen as planned,” said Holohan.

You see what's happening here?

A whitewash??

2ndcoming

Bananaleaf wrote: »

I doubt that when they go around to each others houses they are all sitting 1.2m apart with masks on for 90% of the time they are there, but maybe they are

Like they are on the bus home from school :pac:

People still don't seem to get that the more people you are around regularly the more likely you are to catch a commutable virus.

If they are with their same 3 or 4 friends every day, the risk is a lot lower than being in close contact with dozens of others every day, regardless of masks.

Bananaleaf

2ndcoming wrote: »

If they are with their same 3 or 4 friends every day, the risk is a lot lower than being in close contact with dozens of others every day, regardless of masks.

I don't disagree with that

CharlieHaghy

Tony H will over ride the government and keep schools closed.

khalessi

Saw this made me laugh - the Kevin McManus post that is.

https://twitter.com/bassbreeze/status/1345899368826732544

Treseemme.

Chaotic over in the UK today

Hopefully we get a decision shortly, they will have to remain closed right now

Messi19

khalessi wrote: »

Saw this made me laugh - the Kevin McManus post that is.

https://twitter.com/bassbreeze/status/1345899368826732544

Same hairstyle at least

SusanC10

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/covid-19-government-fears-public-believes-it-has-lost-control-1.4449324

Paragraph 7 of this Article says
"Every single Government source who spoke privately on Sunday did not expect schools to reopen on the week beginning January 11th."

scrubs33

Treseemme. wrote: »

Chaotic over in the UK today

Hopefully we get a decision shortly, they will have to remain closed right now

Are the unions meeting on Wednesday with the NPHET advice due to issue on Thursday? Or have I dreamt that?

beggars_bush

This thread is going to be fun over the next few days

JDD

SusanC10 wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/covid-19-government-fears-public-believes-it-has-lost-control-1.4449324

Paragraph 7 of this Article says
"Every single Government source who spoke privately on Sunday did not expect schools to reopen on the week beginning January 11th."

God that's depressing.

My eight year old cried when we told her that schools were closing again. She was okay when we explained that it was only for three days initially, and if it was a bit longer it wouldn't be anywhere near the three month closure last year. I hope I was right telling her that.

The 6 year old couldn't have given a toss. She loves being at home.

The 3 year old went into creche this morning. I'll bet my house that it will be closed by the end of the week.

I have a work project that is closing at the end of January. Two years of work. The three weeks before Christmas were 90 hour weeks and it's going to demand the same over the next three weeks. In fairness to my job, it is really flexible until the point you get to the end of a project. The closure of this project has already been delayed by four months because of the first lockdown, and I don't have a team for this particular piece of work - so no one can take up the slack.

I am DREADING the next three weeks if we have all three kids at home with us. The only way around it that I can see is just that I'll have to work through the night and get 3/4 hours sleep for three weeks. I did that once on a previous project and I swore I would never do it again as I nearly had a nervous breakdown at the end of it. But there's no way around it.

That all being said, objectively I can understand that schools and creches have to close if infections stay on the same trajectory. I get it.

Just. God. **puts head in hands**

mirrorwall14

It will be interesting to see how they manage it tbh. I don’t honestly think it should be blanket out at this stage tbh. Week on week off for two weeks would instantly half numbers in crèches and schools making it safer and would mean the workforce isn’t fully affected and that kids only miss a week of school as such rather than too

wirelessdude01

scrubs33 wrote: »

Are the unions meeting on Wednesday with the NPHET advice due to issue on Thursday? Or have I dreamt that?

Think there are some meetings today. I know that INTO CEC are meeting tomorrow.

Theboinkmaster

JDD wrote: »

God that's depressing.

My eight year old cried when we told her that schools were closing again. She was okay when we explained that it was only for three days initially, and if it was a bit longer it wouldn't be anywhere near the three month closure last year. I hope I was right telling her that.

The 6 year old couldn't have given a toss. She loves being at home.

The 3 year old went into creche this morning. I'll bet my house that it will be closed by the end of the week.

I have a work project that is closing at the end of January. Two years of work. The three weeks before Christmas were 90 hour weeks and it's going to demand the same over the next three weeks. In fairness to my job, it is really flexible until the point you get to the end of a project. The closure of this project has already been delayed by four months because of the first lockdown, and I don't have a team for this particular piece of work - so no one can take up the slack.

I am DREADING the next three weeks if we have all three kids at home with us. The only way around it that I can see is just that I'll have to work through the night and get 3/4 hours sleep for three weeks. I did that once on a previous project and I swore I would never do it again as I nearly had a nervous breakdown at the end of it. But there's no way around it.

That all being said, objectively I can understand that schools and creches have to close if infections stay on the same trajectory. I get it.

Just. God. **puts head in hands**

Heart goes out to you, best of luck in next few weeks.

Stateofyou

SusanC10 wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/covid-19-government-fears-public-believes-it-has-lost-control-1.4449324

Paragraph 7 of this Article says
"Every single Government source who spoke privately on Sunday did not expect schools to reopen on the week beginning January 11th."

Well there you go...

jimmytwotimes 2013

Wud be great if they'd just bloody tell us. Online work, if that's the direction they're gonna go, doesn't prepare itself.

km79

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Wud be great if they'd just bloody tell us. Online work, if that's the direction they're gonna go, doesn't prepare itself.

It’s a given at this stage

jimmytwotimes 2013

km79 wrote: »

It’s a given at this stage

Why not say it then

JDD

I think it's a given too. It'd be nice to get the work we're supposed to do with our kids before the weekend, so that we can read it ourselves over the weekend and prepare what we need. Instead of getting the day's work at 9.30 on Monday morning, and spending an hour firing up an ancient laptop to print out work, or collecting various bits and pieces from the house for the maths project, when you're supposed to be on a work call.

the kelt

Bananaleaf wrote: »

I doubt that when they go around to each others houses they are all sitting 1.2m apart with masks on for 90% of the time they are there, but maybe they are

The problem is this argument doesn’t stack up.

My local town is a relatively small local town. Yet every school day well over 1000 kids are bussed or drove into this town. They aren’t socially distant on their journeys and I doubt they’re masked.

They all congregate in the same place in this town every day. Every day they’re down town at lunch time, they’re in the shops, they’re in the takeaways, they’re circulating in that town every day and once again in the eve they’re all congregating in the same areas again.

You can multiply that by 100,s throughout the country and indeed my local town is far from the biggest in the county, other towns have way more doing exactly the same thing.

If the schools aren’t open and kids are at home they’re not doing this.

This idea that kids are safer in schools etc cos they’re masked socially distant etc completely ignores everything else that goes into a school day for hundreds of thousands of kids in this country. This idea that they will just spend time in shopping centres etc if not in schools is so false and Dublin/ big city centric but then again that’s hardly surprising I suppose.

eviltwin

I really feel for the school staff. Throughout all this, in my job, we have been kept in the loop at every stage since March. Sometimes there hasn’t been anything happening and our bosses are as much in the dark as anyone but we’ve felt excluded or ignored. I still have to work but I feel as much as possible is being done to keep us safe and anxiety at a minimum. School staff seem completely in the dark as to what’s going on. Safety seems to be way down on the list of priorities. Where are your unions? Why aren’t they fighting this?

Sammy2012

Okay so if schools don't open, how long do you think they'll stay closed for? Maybe 2 to 3 weeks and back in the end of the month? I am just trying to think optimistically about this situation which we have suddenly found ourselves in.

km79

Sammy2012 wrote: »

Okay so if schools don't open, how long do you think they'll stay closed for? Maybe 2 to 3 weeks and back in the end of the month? I am just trying to think optimistically about this situation which we have suddenly found ourselves in.

That’s what I think
End of January
But maybe only for exam classes until the mid term .........
I can’t see mocks going ahead

Stateofyou

Sammy2012 wrote: »

Okay so if schools don't open, how long do you think they'll stay closed for? Maybe 2 to 3 weeks and back in the end of the month? I am just trying to think optimistically about this situation which we have suddenly found ourselves in.

4-6 weeks is my guess..

Gemma1982

Sammy2012 wrote: »

Okay so if schools don't open, how long do you think they'll stay closed for? Maybe 2 to 3 weeks and back in the end of the month? I am just trying to think optimistically about this situation which we have suddenly found ourselves in.

I’m thinking a reopening after the February midterm break. I really hope I’m wrong though. The thoughts of homeschooling and minding a toddler combined with full time work again!! I wonder if they close again, would consideration be given to giving working parents the option to elect for the PUP payment for the duration of school/crèche closures.

Dubh Geannain

jimmytwotimes 2013 wrote: »

Why not say it then

Because people in this country have proven they have short memories. The longer it's left to make the call the more people won't see it for what it is. A massive row back that was always on the cards despite being told it wasn't.

Then the rose tinted glasses come on in a couple of years time (it's a human condition when looking at the past) and people will say what a great job Varadkar and Harris did and subsequently MM and Donnelly. Foley may be the exception here as she is proving to be quite useless but don't be surprised if she gets back in too. After all, she's done a great job so far keeping the schools COVID free. It's only spreading in the community :rolleyes:

the kelt

What’s really unfair on people now is that Nora, Micheal and others will play politics with this.

They will delay and dither and review until we end up in a situation where the decision will be taken out of their hands by NPHET, then they will play politics by saying they done all they could to keep the schools open, we believe they should open but NPHET forcing us etc etc

So they will argue it wasn’t their choice to close the schools, blame NPHET etc, we done our best.

When in reality the ordinary people around the country deserve better than that, they deserve better than delaying this to just play politics.

HSE have said today cases of around 7k for the next few days, schools can’t possibly open, even the dogs on the street know that.

People need to make plans, businesses need to make plan, this puts a lot of people out and delaying makes it worse, shame on those playing politics with it, make a decision and stop waiting for that decision to be made for you.

Sammy2012

km79 wrote: »

That’s what I think
End of January
But maybe only for exam classes until the mid term .........
I can’t see mocks going ahead

I'm primary based but I do feel for this years 6th years. My sister in law is doing hers and is under a lot of stress.

Side note Josepha Madigan on Radio 1 and had said that the decision has been made and schools will reopen next Monday!

wirelessdude01

Madigan on the radio now spouting her rubbish that schools will be open next Monday and that that won't be changing.

Also saying that teachers and SNAs have priority for the vaccine. 11th place on the list isn't priority no matter what way you dice it up.

Stateofyou

eviltwin wrote: »

I really feel for the school staff. Throughout all this, in my job, we have been kept in the loop at every stage since March. Sometimes there hasn’t been anything happening and our bosses are as much in the dark as anyone but we’ve felt excluded or ignored. I still have to work but I feel as much as possible is being done to keep us safe and anxiety at a minimum. School staff seem completely in the dark as to what’s going on. Safety seems to be way down on the list of priorities. Where are your unions? Why aren’t they fighting this?

I see this morning that the UK's Unions have united and told Boris to go stuff his 'schools are safe' nonsense and defied his order to open today. Unions there are saying school staff should be off until they are vaccinated.

Dubh Geannain wrote: »

Because people in this country have proven they have short memories. The longer it's left to make the call the more people won't see it for what it is. A massive row back that was always on the cards despite being told it wasn't.

Then the rose tinted glasses come on in a couple of years time (it's a human condition when looking at the past) and people will say what a great job Varadkar and Harris did and subsequently MM and Donnelly. Foley may be the exception here as she is proving to be quite useless but don't be surprised if she gets back in too. After all, she's done a great job so far keeping the schools COVID free. It's only spreading in the community :rolleyes:

You have a point, but wait until we have several weeks of remote learning behind us. The lack of a cohesive, national remote learning plan with funding and IT supports in place will wear thin pretty quickly and impact school families massively. A plan/provision for special needs children and those at high risk have been left high and dry. I doubt we will be so quick to forgive or forget.

Sammy2012

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Madigan on the radio now spouting her rubbish that schools will be open next Monday and that that won't be changing.

Also saying that teachers and SNAs have priority for the vaccine. 11th place on the list isn't priority no matter what way you dice it up.

I actually can't stand that woman. She is back saying "the supports are". Why can't they just admit that schools are fairly okay once the virus levels are low in the community and now the levels are extremely high so we will have to look into it. Just be honest with people.

wirelessdude01

Sammy2012 wrote: »

I actually can't stand that woman. She is back saying "the supports are". Why can't they just admit that schools are fairly okay once the virus levels are low in the community and now the levels are extremely high so we will have to look into it. Just be honest with people.

She is repeatedly not answering the questions she is asked.

Sammy2012

Shes also claiming that the department have issued information TODAY saying schools are safe.

Sammy2012

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

She is repeatedly not answering the questions she is asked.

Usual way she conducts interviews.

Stateofyou

wirelessdude01 wrote: »

Madigan on the radio now spouting her rubbish that schools will be open next Monday and that that won't be changing.

Also saying that teachers and SNAs have priority for the vaccine. 11th place on the list isn't priority no matter what way you dice it up.

I'm still trying to figure out how her background led to an appointment of Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion.

C__MC

Well that was dreadful
Been a catastrophe time for this government

Sammy2012

C__MC wrote: »

Well that was dreadful
Been a catastrophe time for this government

I loved how she refused to give a date when pushed by P.B.H!

alroley

Josepha Madigan is a person that was wearing a visor well after it was proven they are useless. She is away with the fairies. I wouldn't take notice of what she says.

seamus

So many ministers at this stage have been sent out into public to declare that schoosl will reopen on the 11th, Martin might face a revolt, even government collapse, if he was to make them look foolish and revise the date at this stage.

So long as NPHET don't change their advice, I don't see the Government doing so either. At a push he might open dialogue with the unions and commit to reopening on the 18th, but aside from a few noisy sectors, there is no appetite for closing schools for another 6 weeks, not from NPHET or the general public.

SusanC10

I still really can't get my head around the lack of Planning by the DES and the Government. To expect Schools to just stay open as normal for everyone. Even just to have a coherent Plan and hope not to need to use it.

Stateofyou

FFS, just seeing this for the first time. :eek: There's only so much shíte you can take!

Fears are also mounting that Covid vaccines could be ineffective against the South African mutation. Mr Hancock said today he was 'incredibly worried' about the strain, which has already been spotted in Britain and is claimed to be even more infectious than the Kent variant that is spreading rapidly across the UK.

Mr Hancock told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'I'm incredibly worried about the South African variant and that's why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa and movement from South Africa and in fact to insist that anybody who'd been to South Africa to isolate.

'This is a very, very significant problem, in fact I spoke to my South African opposite number over Christmas and one of the reasons they know they have a problem is because, like us, they have an excellent genomic-scientific [programme] to be able to study the details of the virus and it is even more of a problem than the UK new variant.'

Sir John Bell, one of the Government's coronavirus advisers, yesterday warned there was a 'big question mark' over whether any of the jabs could protect against the mutation. There is no evidence the South African variant is more deadly or causes more severe illness than regular Covid.

eviltwin

How many parents here will send their children to school if they open on the 11th?

Sammy2012

eviltwin wrote: »

How many parents here will send their children to school if they open on the 11th?

I will. As have no alternative childcare. I will be going so my children will have to go.

SusanC10

eviltwin wrote: »

How many parents here will send their children to school if they open on the 11th?

We won't be sending ours in. 1 Primary, 1 Secondary (non-Exam Year).

We are lucky that I am a SAHM and Husband is WFH since last March so we are in a position to be able to do it. Also, both Kids are independent students and (mostly) willing to work.

wirelessdude01

Sammy2012 wrote: »

Shes also claiming that the department have issued information TODAY saying schools are safe.

Loved O'Riordan muttering in the background that it isn't true.