So finally an announcement on schools. Then follows the inevitable confusion, lies and burying heads in the sand. Best summed up by

  • The independent expert scientific panel urging schools to not open as it is not safe,
  • The governments own expert scientific panel demanding schools to be closed as they are not safe in the current environment,
  • Then our so called PM announces that schools are completely safe, it’s people mixing outside of schools which is the problem.

The upshot appears to be that secondary schools will stay shut for a few more days. Most secondary children are expected to be back by the 18th January. By that time a team of volunteers will then oversea a mass virus testing exercise for all pupils. Some schools will stay closed longer but the government won’t say which ones. Most Primary schools will open on the 4th January as normal.

Ok…. I would not be filled with so much cynicism if any Government announcement wasn’t worked out on the back of a cigarette packet and it wasn’t accompanied by a tirade of lies.

Anyway different people are saying different things. Clearly some of the Government including the PM haven’t read the Government’s own policy. So many questions are being ignored. For example why are the schools for younger children staying open when others are closed? Are those children and teachers somehow mysteriously protected? Why are face masks required in public places but not in the classroom? Any person working with children has to be officially vetted yet that’s been dropped for the Covid testing programme. Is that safe? The covid test that will be used is problematic, doesn’t have the greatest accuracy and is difficult to self administer. So how is that going to work with pupils self administering the test in a large group with unqualified volunteers and teachers who have little medical experience? No mention of Special Schools – what do they do? How are schools going to fund the infrastructure required to set up the covid testing. Why are the Government refusing to promote online education for those that it would suit?

Many more questions but you get the picture. It’s a mess…..

52 thoughts on “To be or not to be”

  2. How inexplicably stupid. It’s not clear what will happen over here with the schools yet, but we’re back to a higher level of lockdown again for the next 2 weeks, keeping most businesses open, but banning gatherings and fun things, like going to the beach. Schools wouldn’t be going back here for another couple of weeks anyway, since it’s our long summer holiday. But they should have shut the partying down sooner though. Closing the stable door after the virus has bolted.

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      1. Our Minister of Police goes one better. ‘There will be no December 31. There will be no celebrations. Everyone must be in bed by 9pm.’
        Let’s just hope for a better 2021.

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  5. Wow, a complete mess indeed. But logic doesn’t seem to be a priority for many governments in their measures. Sorry to say that but the Swiss government is insane since we are having the highest numbers and they say that no stricter measures are required… insane!!

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      1. There is no clear line in Switzerland regarding a general solution. It depends on the “Kanton”… that’s Switzerland… However, Liechtensteins ski resort is open when even with a limitations of people coming in.

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      3. That is definitely a difference. I am just glad that at least next week, my son doesn’t need to go to commercial school. Yes, it is a bigger effort for the teachers but it is of no help to defeat the virus.

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  7. To all your readers:
    These are the government leaders your nations have elected to help guide your way. If you had known beforehand what they were going to be like in a crisis, would you have elected them? I think not.
    So why aren’t you demanding their recall, or whatever process you have, if any, to tell them you the electorate are dissatisfied with their inadequacies. If you don’t have such a process, demand one!
    Politicians lie, we all know that. But where you would expect some plausibility of sanity, what you get is stupidity, and incompetence. Actually, you have had these all along, but it took Covid-19 to expose it so blatantly.
    We, the people of the world, are told democracy is the best form of government possible, whether we live in one or not. Please tell me you are now questioning that statement, and seeing it for the lie it is. What you have are power-hungry people out to do for themselves while the rest of us suffer, or worse, die because of their incompetency. When are you going to stand up for yourselves, and demand something better.
    Instead of giving some asshole a certain period of time to lord it over you, hire someone to do what needs to be done for the good of everyone, without a contract, but with damn good pay. And give him or her a review every 6 months or so. If they want to keep their job, they will quickly learn to serve their employers, not those who think they know it all, because they don’t.
    I don’t know it this is even a term yet, but what democracies seem to be getting more of these days are democratic dictators, democratic tyrants. Smug little men who care about no one but themselves, their families, and their friends.
    Let me ask you, are you friends with any of them? I thought not! Now would you want to be, I bet…

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  8. If there was a change of government, do you think they would handle things better? It’s hard to imagine anything worse. I don”t know how the system works in Britain, but surely there has to be someone who could make a better go of it.

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  10. Sometimes I believe our “leaders” cannot possibly be this stupid and so much of the double-talk and double-standards are deliberate.

    Then I read another press release and think they’ve all had their brains sucked out of their heads.

    Think I’ll stay with option two for now.

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