• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat


Couple of things Nicole if I may.

Everywhere on the planet cases will be brought in from somewhere else. Restaurant outbreaks will be because someone has brought it in,. Hotels, Universities, schools, homes, the infection will be brought in from somewhere else and then it can spread. Navy ships are the prime example. You have a fully negative crew for say six months and then new crew joins or swaps. Because the new crew will have been elsewhere they have the potential to bring it onto the ship. People will scream, but it didn't originate on the ship! No, but now it's there it has the potential to spread!

Point number two. I'm sorry but you cannot compare shop workers with those who work in schools. Don't get me wrong they have been fantastic with the continuing service they have provided through the whole pandemic and I am not dismissing their risk at all. But,,,,, Shop workers may have to serve the great unwashed as you say but not in a small room for a minimum of 40 minutes at a time like teachers or support staff do each lesson. It just doesn't compare. You may be in Sainsbury for over an hour but you aren't next to a staff member for the whole time.

Kids will spread the virus. Surely there can be no denying this?
 
Well I am hoping to see my Head tomorrow to discuss a way forward with either a work from home option or even a partial work from home option. I'm going to suggest at the very minimum I can leave an hour early at 3 after the kids have gone., More often than not we have training or catch up on tasks and emails and considering the computer room is small and everyone piles in and the training is always on a Power Point document anyway I don't feel I need to be inside for those. I've been getting home and spending two hours on emails at the end of the day anyway so I am working those extra hours from home but finishing later than I would at school so it's a suggestion I will put forward. I don't see why anyone should stay and hang around for an hour anyway. Get the cleaners in after the kids have gone and send staff home to access email and training remotely, surely that makes sense.

Also suggested to the Assistant Head that they should consider temperature checks in the morning. Each student is called individually from the car anyway where they go and sanitize their hands before entry. It just takes a senior member of staff to clock everyone's temperature before they enter, staffs as well. We are not a big school so it's a no brainer. I know temperature checks are a lottery but better than nothing.
 
NicoleC1971 said:
Like I said let's keep an eye on the actual hospitalisations and deaths which remain really low even in Scotland which has been back at school for a month and also be mindful of the terrible consequences of shutting our schools down.
Click to expand...
We're still in the tail of the next exponential, as in your previous article Professor Kevin McConway supports. The schools will have to close when the numbers rise exponentially. Victoria closed its schools for six weeks and they only had 200 cases a day in the entire state (600 a day at their worse.) They've stopped a second wave and saved lives. If we don't, we will be following the American model.
 
Last edited:
I really hope you find a way forward. Wishing you the very best in your endeavour to stay safe.
 
ert said:
I really hope you find a way forward. Wishing you the very best in your endeavour to stay safe.
Click to expand...

Thank you, and thank you all for your support and input. It really helps to just get it all out here and that's why I started the thread. It helps to vent!!!

Talking of venting, this made me laugh, to the point of exasperation! We have so many staff now parking has become an issue in a small car park so a Travel Questionnaire was sent out today. I kid you not one of the questions was -

"Which of the following might encourage you to car share? "

¨ Already car share
¨ Help in finding car share partner
¨ Guaranteed free lift to and from work if let down by driver
¨ Guaranteed priority parking for car sharers
¨ Financial incentives for car sharing
X None of the above
¨ Other (Please Specify):

………………………………………………………………………

Think you can probably hazard a guess that I added the X, along with the comment "Wouldn’t think a Car Sharing Club would be a particularly sensible idea in the current climate!!"
 
Unbelievable. Surely they should be suggesting everyone should get a bike.
 
Max68 said:
20 miles there and 20 back might be pushing it for me on a bike!!
Click to expand...
They should see how far everyone lives from work then. And you win - you get a parking space.
 

You are not comparing like with like. Any shop worker will have spent seconds or minutes at most with a shopper who was most likely at a distance of at least 1m away. Teachers are in closed classrooms in close proximity to another individual all day long. I just don't get this attitude, why do you have to play one profession off against another? As far as I can see ALL Teachers are asking for is for consideration to be given around safety issues, is that really too much to ask for? All vulnerable people are asking for is for their extra risk to be taken into account when addressing safety measures. Besides which MANY Teachers still went to work to look after essential worker's kids. Everybody in a job that brings them in close contact with the public deserve respect not dismissal.
 
£100 BILLION on a 'moonshot' theoretical test which is only valid for a few hours, and no sign of it until Spring, but no continuation of financial help for those unable to work at the moment, or self employed and businesses who are facing destitution and bankruptcy. Even furlough money only produced 80% of an income for people, many of whom didnt qualify for top up benefits and were on the limit of coping financially with 100% of their wages.?

As someone in the music industry we wont be working this Christmas season, so thats another quarter of our annual income gone right there. Its economically impossible to finance performances with only a third of an audience.
 
also, the technology for this 'moonshot' doesnt even exist yet. I wonder who of Boris's mates is getting the development contract?

I just want an effective testing and track and trace system - which has already cost billions and still isnt working.
 
I had a telephone appointment with a gastroenterology consultant this afternoon. He said he was referring me for a scan and a camera down my throat into my stomach & a gastric emptying test. I replied that I would not be going anywhere near a hospital until there was a vaccine.He said it would be safe as "everyone wears masks now". I just thanked him but repeated that I would not be going anywhere near a hospital.
 
lucylocket61 said:
also, the technology for this 'moonshot' doesnt even exist yet. I wonder who of Boris's mates is getting the development contract?

I just want an effective testing and track and trace system - which has already cost billions and still isnt working.
Click to expand...

I think he meant moonshine. Now I could get on board with that. x
 
Reactions: JRT

Hi Tannith, I know that sounds scary but my daughter had to go for an intrusive test (similar). They were fantastic, they made her isolate for a week beforehand, she had a covid test 3 days before the procedure then went to the hospital in VERY covid secure surroundings, everyone masked, nobody else about etc. I really think there would have been more risk in Sainsbury's! I am concerned about covid in uncontrolled environments (as this post is about) but I do think they are very good at pre arranged/controlled procedures. Obviously health authorities may differ but I would be loathe to put off an important procedure indefinitely. xx
 
I totally understand how you feel Tannith. So much depends on where you live,and even how you would get to your appointment. I have read comments here and elsewhere that people have felt very safe during hospital visits. Maybe you could contact the department and see what there procedures are? Either way it's your choice and everyone has very different circumstances. Sending you virtual hugs. If it helps I am getting increasingly annoyed with the "I'm alright what are you so scared of " brigade. Goody for them but for goodness sake have a bit of empathy.
 
Teachers are not responsible for educating the children, the Government is. It should be providing safe environments for its employees, the school staff. And for the kids of course. That could be an increase in classrooms (requisition empty offices?) so that everyone could social distance. And an increase in teaching or at least "minding" staff to cover these extra classes. The teachers should be deployed to home education/admin tasks if they are older (say over 45/50ish and/or vulnerable. Teachers are just employees like any other, it is for their employers to ensure they do not work in unsafe conditions. It was only about 3 weeks ago when Boris was actually forbidding PPE in schools for fear it frightened the parents off from sending their kids, because it might make schools appear unsafe. Which they are.Boris doesn't give a toss about the health of the teachers, just the economy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…