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Covid and Work, Covid Advice and General Chat

lizzeb said:
Sorry to hear about your difficulties during this current time. I will have a look on the Diabetes Uk for some more information. Would you mind sending me a copy of your risk assessment once you receive it please. Thanks
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Yes of course I will send you a copy although I don’t know when I’ll be getting it.
 
lizzeb said:
Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help. I work in a school teaching the reception class and obviously diabetic. I’m in school at the moment but need to have a risk assessment with regards to Coronavirus. Could anyone help as I’m trying to update the one my head sent me as hers is very generic and needs to be more specific for someone with diabetes. Thanks
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Jbicheno is quite correct. Your best way to play this is to request another Individual Risk Assessment from your employer and ask if they can discuss it with you prior to them doing it again. Everyone's will be different, or should be tailored to their health and working conditions. If you have a Union contact them for advice as different Union's may have different procedures.
 
I thought it was 1st April when I read the below article. Honestly if "That's Life" was still on I would be sending this schools Principal's name to Esther Rantzen for nomination to the weekly Jobsworth Award!

I mean full credit to the school for keeping the place ventilated but knock on effects will occur for most procedures so let the kids wear long sleeved jumpers for crying out loud! I have never ever heard of a school where uniform policy is short sleeve jumpers only! Ridiculous.


https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle...ed-jumper-at-school/ar-BB1b0yWp?ocid=msedgntp
 
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lizzeb said:
Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help. I work in a school teaching the reception class and obviously diabetic. I’m in school at the moment but need to have a risk assessment with regards to Coronavirus. Could anyone help as I’m trying to update the one my head sent me as hers is very generic and needs to be more specific for someone with diabetes. Thanks
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Hi, there was a 'type 1 and teacher' thread a little while ago were some posted reasonable adjustments made for them ahead of the Sept school return. A lot of my adjustments might not work for you in a primary setting, things like strict 2m distancing from all pupils and staff (taped off teacher area to make this easier). No duties or expectation to leave the classroom if corridors were busy, staying apart in fire drills, attending meetings virtually. All staff had the option to wear masks and visors also. Staff are not to touch pupil equipment or books, so any marking must be left 72 hrs after pupils have touched it, then another 72hrs before handing it back. There are more whole school policies (which I thought were pretty comprehensive in Sept already) so it will also depend on what the rest of the school RA is for your school. The NEU had some good suggestions too, not specifically for diabetics, but still useful. Hope that helps a little.
 
DCUKMod said:
I agree that Thailand have few cases, which is similar in nearby Vietnam. I have interests in both countries - one where a family member is struggling to return and the other where a family member is, without a credible route home (that one is complicated, so won't elaborate).

The visa situations for both countries seem pretty complicated at the moment, and it would also appear to depend, in Thailand where the person intends to be, as well as the purpose of the trip) we have reluctantly shelved plans to visit this year, or in the early part of next, so have a UK winter in prospect, which we don't enjoy.
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I previously spent 8 years working in Bangkok and my original 2020 plan was to spend from April onwards on several long trips back to SE Asia... pragmatically I'm not holding out hope to get there even in 2021 unless there is substantially more effective pandemic control in UK, EU and USA. The range of available foreign visas to Thailand is mostly diplomatic, limited business, some high end medical tourism and very limited tourist visas from a small number of countries. Unfortunately for many countries (and their economies) superficially "good" control is not sustainable if it relies mainly on closed borders. Even with vaccines - testing, quarantining and tracking/tracing will be extensively needed for the foreseeable future?

What makes Thailand an interesting example is that both WHO and I think the Financial Times have compared approaches in Thailand and UK (roughly similar populations, very large global/regional airport hubs, big tourist/retail sectors).
 
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13201645/brits-obesity-behind-highest-coronavirus/

Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) over 30, raises the risk of dying from Covid-19 by 48 per cent.

Chris Whitty's predecessor, Professor Sally Davies said: “There is a direct correlation between obesity and a high mortality for Covid, and I’m highlighting that, as a nation, one of the reasons we have a problem with our weight is because of our structural environment to which advertising, portion size, and many other things come into play.”

48 % is a massive amount. I'm making further efforts to lose weight in case I am unlucky enough to catch it. Also to improve anti inflammatory aspects of my diet for the same reason.
 
Having read the article I have serious doubts about it. Looks like another attempt to blame the public for the results of de-funding the NHS for a decade, leading to over stretched resources during the pandemic.

Oh, and plus the amount of us who had it earlier and couldn't get any help until we were very ill, some of whom died because there were insufficient resources.

Unlike other countries in the EU who cared for their sick before they were at deaths door, so more survived.

Medical staff have worked miracles here in the UK, and continue to do so without the resources they need.

The UK is only marginally more obese than other European countries, certainly not enough to explain our higher death rate from covid-19
 
What I would say however re risk factors, which I have seen no data on is the impact of sleep apnoea in Covid, and no you don't have to be over weight to suffer with it.

Sleep Apnoea can be undiagnosed and if someone unknowingly struggles with their breathing when sleeping then it's going to be really tough lying on your back in a hospital setting suffering with covid related breathing difficulties.
 
Another, another teacher with Covid and another year group sent home (now L5, U5, L6 and U6 are isolating at home.)
 
It’s the older ones who’ve been sent home to isolate in the school older daughter teaches at @ert, in the SE, and son-in-law’s school in the Midlands is struggling too.
I see that Angela Merkel’s thinking of shutting schools as a measure to control the second wave in Germany.
 
Schools everywhere are struggling with pupil and teacher isolations hitting hard.

I’m reading speculation of a longer Christmas holiday in schools. Now I realise it’s just that, speculation, but if the current mockdown doesn’t produce the desired results then maybe they’ll go locking down schools and keeping businesses more open route instead.
 
I've got to stop reading social media and the news with regard to all the conspiracy stuff as it makes my blood boil. People not happy with Covid, not happy with lockdowns, restrictions, vaccines etc and yet why does it all have to be a conspiracy?!

Fair enough if you don't feel safe or have a personal preference to taking any vaccine. Fair enough if you aren't happy with lockdowns and restrictions but to base it on the fact that Bill Gates will inject you with Dennis Quaid in a mini spaceship from Inner Space to track all your future movements is just crazy!

I'm beginning to wonder if some people are actually more dangerous than the virus!
 
I must admit I'm finding it very frustrating to. I expect a lot of people are doing their best.
It does however seem there is a major disconnect between the reality of the virus and peoples desires.
Peoples expectations of Christmas, shops opening,pubs etc doesnt seem related to it being safe to do so. It feels as though they view the government as putting restrictions into place just to make people unhappy!
It doesnt help we seem to have a chaotic government who change direction with alarming regularity and as a damming edition of Dispatches showed they cant even get basics right.
The Media dont help with the rollercoaster of headlines about vaccines. Yes its positive. No it's not going to happen this side of Christmas. When it does are the government capable of organizing it?
In the midst of such chaos it's not surprising people are turning to conspiracy theories for a sense of someone somewhere having answers!
 
JRT said:
I must admit I'm finding it very frustrating to. I expect a lot of people are doing their best.
It does however seem there is a major disconnect between the reality of the virus and peoples desires.
Peoples expectations of Christmas, shops opening,pubs etc doesnt seem related to it being safe to do so. It feels as though they view the government as putting restrictions into place just to make people unhappy!
It doesnt help we seem to have a chaotic government who change direction with alarming regularity and as a damming edition of Dispatches showed they cant even get basics right.
The Media dont help with the rollercoaster of headlines about vaccines. Yes its positive. No it's not going to happen this side of Christmas. When it does are the government capable of organizing it?
In the midst of such chaos it's not surprising people are turning to conspiracy theories for a sense of someone somewhere having answers!
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That's the thing though, the conspiracy theorists don't have any answers and even if you show statistics disproving the outlandish theories they are quick to discredit said statistics!

I said the other day someone was interviewed on TV admitting that they didn't want to get Covid but were not prepared to take a vaccine and that all restrictions were against liberties but they didn't offer any solutions to the problem. Many a theorist on other social media sites seem to suggest that "natural" herd immunity is the way forward but at the same time none of them seem to have had it so therefore suggesting that they aren't going out of their way to achieve what they believe.

I agree with you though that the shambolic leadership throughout along with the constant change of direction doesn't breed confidence and if Boris tells you a vaccine is safe then why should people believe him?! On the other hand even if the leadership through this pandemic had been spot on then I am sure you would still have a lot of deniers and conspiracy theorists. Unfortunately if the numbers taking up the vaccine are low then the Government may decide to make it mandatory thus creating even more ammunition for those in question.
 
Five schools closed where I live now.
I agree @ert, the reality of restrictions is being undermined by expectations that we’ll all be able to have a lovely time again by Christmas. What’s also supremely irritating is that it seems that there are some celebrations that have occurred in lockdown without govt demur, but in this multicultural country just one celebration is being given this extra special significance.
 
lizzeb said: ↑
Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help. I work in a school teaching the reception class and obviously diabetic. I’m in school at the moment but need to have a risk assessment with regards to Coronavirus. Could anyone help as I’m trying to update the one my head sent me as hers is very generic and needs to be more specific for someone with diabetes. Thanks

My County council have not got anyone under 70 on their list, it's the clinically vulnerable group and anyone over 70 years, who have any concerns regarding continuing to work, can email the school escort/transport team.
 
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