Read on Twitter
1. THE HAWK
I've been a #COVID19 hawk since the end of January, advocating a precautionary approach and rapid response to this pandemic. That doesn't mean I don't recognise that life has to go on. We weighed the risks as a family & decided a return to school would be OK, but...
I've been a #COVID19 hawk since the end of January, advocating a precautionary approach and rapid response to this pandemic. That doesn't mean I don't recognise that life has to go on. We weighed the risks as a family & decided a return to school would be OK, but...
2. ...it's all become a bit Kafkaesque with more than a touch of Catch-22. Three children at three schools.
School A - primary. Youngest can wear his protective N99 mask in class. Comes home for lunch because the school won't let him eat outside & the hall is used by 300 kids.
School A - primary. Youngest can wear his protective N99 mask in class. Comes home for lunch because the school won't let him eat outside & the hall is used by 300 kids.
3. School B - secondary/high school. Headteacher is skeptical of the protective benefits of masks, but we've reached an accord. The only issue is that in 2 weeks he wants a doctor's note to excuse our daughter from indoor PE.
4. The South Korean CDC has warned against indoor exercise and the Texas Medical Association rates it as one of the highest risks.
https://healthnewshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NewsTexasRiskAssessment-copyPDF.pdf?_ga=2.136299185.1448024270.1599516037-2112953948.1599516037
https://healthnewshub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/NewsTexasRiskAssessment-copyPDF.pdf?_ga=2.136299185.1448024270.1599516037-2112953948.1599516037
5. Evidence doesn't matter. Without a doctor's note, the head won't excuse our daughter and unspecified action will follow. GP won't write a note because the medical evidence isn't there yet to quantify indoor transmission risk, but will write a letter to the school reminding...
6. ...the head it should be parent choice.
School C - secondary/high school. Very sympathetic about masks. Same issue with indoor PE, but in this case the deputy head recognises the government is behind the curve on airborne transmission and masks, and that there is a risk.
School C - secondary/high school. Very sympathetic about masks. Same issue with indoor PE, but in this case the deputy head recognises the government is behind the curve on airborne transmission and masks, and that there is a risk.
7. However, excusing our son from indoor PE would send a signal to other parents that there is a risk and since the risk hasn't been officially acknowledged by the government, the school can't do that.
And, yes, legal twitter, that is in writing.
And, yes, legal twitter, that is in writing.
8. Neither can the local authority, which is bound by Department for Education guidelines.
Are we being execessively cautious? Perhaps, but when I see children suffering like this, I believe caution is well advised. https://twitter.com/katemeredithp/status/1303458831008178176?s=20
Are we being execessively cautious? Perhaps, but when I see children suffering like this, I believe caution is well advised. https://twitter.com/katemeredithp/status/1303458831008178176?s=20
9. On a typical journey, the risk of a car accident is low, but we still wear a seatbelt. Why? Because it's an easy precaution.
And there is growing evidence masks don't just reduce transmission, they also protect the wearer. https://www.businessinsider.com/56-got-coronavirus-south-korea-starbucks-mask-wearers-did-not-2020-8?r=US&IR=T
And there is growing evidence masks don't just reduce transmission, they also protect the wearer. https://www.businessinsider.com/56-got-coronavirus-south-korea-starbucks-mask-wearers-did-not-2020-8?r=US&IR=T
10. The UK is almost alone in sending children back to school with full class sizes and without masks. We are about to become a global case study. A mass experiment to which no one consented. Given this government's track record, why does anyone expect it to go well?
11. Without a functioning test & trace system, cases are likely to escape detection, which is only going to add to the levels of transmission. Given the uncertainty, given the potential risks, I believe parents should have freedom of choice about distance learning & mask wearing.
12. Until the government can provide evidence to properly quantify risk, all its decisions are based on educated guesses, and its track record isn't inspiring. https://twitter.com/adamhamdy/status/1301141515075555328?s=20
13. Until it can properly quantify risk, the government should err on the side of caution and parents shouldn't have to deal with Kafkaesque refusal to acknowledge reality, and be free to take whatever measures they deem to be in the best interests of their children.
14. @Parents_Utd is keeping track of confirmed cases within schools. I believe there are currently over 350 schools, representing more than 1% of all schools in the UK, but it's climbing fast, so that may already be out of date. https://twitter.com/Parents_Utd/status/1303566433570488320?s=20
15. Here's the group's petition calling on the government to stop sanctioning parents during the pandemic. https://twitter.com/Parents_Utd/status/1302843104836411392?s=20
16. And here's a petition calling for mandatory face masks in schools. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/330227
17. And here's a hawk who's probably had just about all he can take of government incompetence.
