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I'm a parent. Here's what I need to know from the UK Government before I can decide if it is safe to send my kids back to school. 1/
Many scientific advisors including @JeremyFarrar say it is too early to reopen. Can the government assure parents that they have met their own benchmarks for safely reopening? 2/
Why can the government tell parents why they not followed the scientific advice on reopening schools? Both Sage and @IndependentSage suggest it is too early. What evidence supports the government's decision to reopen now?
A robust Test and Trace system is still not ready in the UK. This was a key test the government set out for schools reopening. What evidence suggests that this test for reopening can now be thrown out? 4/
Without robust Test, Trace, Isolate, how will we know where outbreaks are happening? How do I know if my community is safe? How is the government managing regional differences across the UK in coronavirus rates? 5/
The Test and Trace system may not be ready until the end of June. How was it determined that it is safe to reopen now without that in place? telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/2…
The government's own classification is at level four meaning “epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially” and means “current social-distancing measures and restrictions” should remain in place. Does that mean it safe to reopen schools? 6/
Some regions like the North West have seen an INCREASE in the numbers of cases over the last two weeks. Are these regional differences being considered in the government policy to reopen schools across the UK? 7/
The R0 rate across the UK is somewhere between 0.7 and 0.9. But regional rates may be higher than 1, the threshold the government set out for safely reopening. Why has the government not published regional R rates? What assurances can be given to communities that now is safe? 8/
Can we be assured that there is enough testing in place to manage future outbreaks? Why does the UK still have one of the lowest testing rates in Europe? Without widespread testing how will we know where new outbreaks are emerging and if our kids and familes are safe? 9/
My community includes social care homes. Why are they not included in official UK statistics on coronavirus outbreaks? How can I know if my community is safe and not experiencing a new outbreak centred in a care home? 9/
Social care workers and health care workers are three times more likely to develop coronavirus. 38% of care homes in England and 59% of care homes in Scotland have had outbreaks. How are we ensuring our communities are safe before reopening schools?
theguardian.com/world/2020/may… 10/
Coronavirus deaths in UK are likely seriously undercounted according to @ChrisGiles_ and @FT. UK has one of the highest rates of deaths from coronavirus in the world. How can we be assured that the safety of our communities is now being considered? 10/
ft.com/content/6b4c78…
Unions including @NEUnion have called for the government to meet their OWN standards for reopening. These standards are based on WHO guidelines. What assurances can parents, teachers and communities be given that these were followed? 11/
This week Schools Minister @NickGibbUK said this week to the education select committee that UK 2 in 5 schools do not have enough PPE to safely reopen. What is the government doing about this over the weekend? 12/
Schools Minister @NickGibbUK also said that they have ignored scientific advice that said the safest way to send children back was a rota basis. How are our schools that were functioning at maximum capacity in February going to physically manage social distancing on 1 June? 13/
The Sage group warned that reopening the schools could push the R value above 1, especially without localised test and trace. @uksciencechief has said that current levels "means there's not a lot of room to do things." How can we be assured that reopening schools is safe? 14/
Several local public health directors say they lack information to track outbreaks locally. How can we be assured that the health of our communities have been taken into consideration? sheffieldnewsroom.co.uk/news/statement… 15/
I really don't know how other parents are managing the conflicting advice in making their own decisions. I'm weighing the risks to my kids and to my and my husband's health and the health of our community, including my kids' great teachers. <fin>
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