Here is why we should close schools now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the very least, begin sending sick children home. Test for fevers and listen for coughing. At the very least, move high school to online learning. Maybe middle school, too, since those children can be on their own during the day if no parent is home. At the very least, insist that young children who are coughing and sneezing on their pre-k teachers are sent to the nurse's office instead of spreading their germs to every single child in the room. It doesn't have to be all or nothing! Let's start with something!

This does nothing since the person was shedding before developing symptoms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the very least, begin sending sick children home. Test for fevers and listen for coughing. At the very least, move high school to online learning. Maybe middle school, too, since those children can be on their own during the day if no parent is home. At the very least, insist that young children who are coughing and sneezing on their pre-k teachers are sent to the nurse's office instead of spreading their germs to every single child in the room. It doesn't have to be all or nothing! Let's start with something!

Labs can not be done online

So they will miss the direct experience and just see on tv the experiments. What is most important now, lives or other things?

[Anonymous]

All right, advocates for immediate wide closures, tell me this. How do you expect to replace all the healthcare workers who will have to stop work if their kids can't go to school? Do you have any idea what percentage of nurses are women with kids at home? Do you know how many of them could suddenly find immediate and affordable replacement childcare?

Do you really want to reduce the availability of healthcare providers now? Really??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At the very least, begin sending sick children home. Test for fevers and listen for coughing. At the very least, move high school to online learning. Maybe middle school, too, since those children can be on their own during the day if no parent is home. At the very least, insist that young children who are coughing and sneezing on their pre-k teachers are sent to the nurse's office instead of spreading their germs to every single child in the room. It doesn't have to be all or nothing! Let's start with something!

This does nothing since the person was shedding before developing symptoms.

Schools should not allow sick kids in. Kids should be evaluated upon arrival. Send right back.If sent next day, ban for a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All right, advocates for immediate wide closures, tell me this. How do you expect to replace all the healthcare workers who will have to stop work if their kids can't go to school? Do you have any idea what percentage of nurses are women with kids at home? Do you know how many of them could suddenly find immediate and affordable replacement childcare?

Do you really want to reduce the availability of healthcare providers now? Really??

Okay then lets debate while this spread. We will worry latter. So what exactly is the plan in epidemics like that keep this all rolling over dead bodies?

It is government who should have a plan right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Closing the schools will have a significant negative impact on the provision of health care. Many health care providers (nurses, doctors, orderlies, janitorial staff, etc.) work the jobs and shifts they do precisely because of childcare. If their kids are out of school, they can't work.

DCUMs isolated and privileged suburban moms don't think about these things, but many hospital administrators are worrying a lot about this.

And yet, people in public health know these things and still believe that in some cases school closure is better for those health care workers.

Because without school closure, illness spreads far more quickly, and health care workers have to attend to far more people at one time; they don't have enough protective equipment to last. So they end up getting infected, and some of them will becomes very ill themselves.

Child care issues are difficult but can be figured out. In order to protect our health care workers we need to take mitigation strategies which will be economically difficult.

[Anonymous]

Saudi Arabia is the most recent country to close all its schools and universityies.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/italy-poised-seal-north-coronavirus-live-updates-200307234942500.html

Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, authorities locked down the eastern Qatif region in a bid to contain the fast-spreading virus. Riyadh also said it was suspending all public and private schools and universities across the country from Monday until further notice.

Also on Sunday, Iran reported 49 new coronavirus fatalities over the past 24 hours, bringing its death toll to 194.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Closing the schools will have a significant negative impact on the provision of health care. Many health care providers (nurses, doctors, orderlies, janitorial staff, etc.) work the jobs and shifts they do precisely because of childcare. If their kids are out of school, they can't work.

DCUMs isolated and privileged suburban moms don't think about these things, but many hospital administrators are worrying a lot about this.

And yet, people in public health know these things and still believe that in some cases school closure is better for those health care workers.

Because without school closure, illness spreads far more quickly, and health care workers have to attend to far more people at one time; they don't have enough protective equipment to last. So they end up getting infected, and some of them will becomes very ill themselves.

Child care issues are difficult but can be figured out. In order to protect our health care workers we need to take mitigation strategies which will be economically difficult.

Some people in public health are advocating school closures, and some are not. Do not exaggerate. There is not a public health consensus on school closures, and it is irresponsible to post as if there is. It certainly makes the rest of your post suspect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All right, advocates for immediate wide closures, tell me this. How do you expect to replace all the healthcare workers who will have to stop work if their kids can't go to school? Do you have any idea what percentage of nurses are women with kids at home? Do you know how many of them could suddenly find immediate and affordable replacement childcare?

Do you really want to reduce the availability of healthcare providers now? Really??

Few nurses will work if they do not have enough PPE.

Did you see this in Seattle?

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-health-care-providers-scramble-to-ration-medical-supplies-as-coronavirus-cases-climb/

Seattle health care providers scramble to ration medical supplies as coronavirus cases climb

Now, as global supply chains have been disrupted and the number of cases climbs, health authorities are hunting for medical supplies and have called on employees to ration.

“Limit mask use to on the patient only,” read a Wednesday email from a Valley Medical Center (VMC) staffer to nurses, referring to surgical masks. “Staff will no longer wear masks, unless providing a care procedure requiring removal of the patient’s mask.”

According to the email: “Masks are in critical supply” and that “due to disaster conditions VMC will be implementing alternate standards of care to conserve masks for critical and surgical use.”

About an hour after the message went out, staff objected and it was retracted, according to Liz Nolan, a VMC spokeswoman, and the hospital found other ways to conserve and nurses were allotted one mask per shift.

We have about 1% of the masks needed for a pandemic. Everyone will be facing this shortage shortly. How long will our health care workers (and EMS and firefighters) be willing to work with no protective equipment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Some people in public health are advocating school closures, and some are not. Do not exaggerate. There is not a public health consensus on school closures, and it is irresponsible to post as if there is. It certainly makes the rest of your post suspect.

I said people in public health advocate school closures in some instances. No, not all of them advocate it right now. They are fools IMO. I don't know what they are thinking.

[Anonymous]

Closing the schools isn't going to make more masks available. It might slow some transmission vectors. It will also reduce availability of some healthcare workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Some people in public health are advocating school closures, and some are not. Do not exaggerate. There is not a public health consensus on school closures, and it is irresponsible to post as if there is. It certainly makes the rest of your post suspect.

I said people in public health advocate school closures in some instances. No, not all of them advocate it right now. They are fools IMO. I don't know what they are thinking.

That they have more experience managing public health crises than you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All right, advocates for immediate wide closures, tell me this. How do you expect to replace all the healthcare workers who will have to stop work if their kids can't go to school? Do you have any idea what percentage of nurses are women with kids at home? Do you know how many of them could suddenly find immediate and affordable replacement childcare?

Do you really want to reduce the availability of healthcare providers now? Really??

Teachers can be repurposed as day care workers. Rent a hotel and there you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Closing the schools isn't going to make more masks available. It might slow some transmission vectors. It will also reduce availability of some healthcare workers.

Closing schools EARLY is likely to slow transmission which will keep ICUs from being overwhelmed and keep the need for PPE lower.

Closing schools 4 weeks into an outbreak will probably not slow transmission nearly enough to help.

That's why proactive areas are closing schools now and not in a reactive way.

Schools will close no matter what, once teachers start being affected. So the question for each area is, should we close schools early and actually get the benefit, or wait for them to close reactively?

Remember, reducing spread through children to essential workers is important too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All right, advocates for immediate wide closures, tell me this. How do you expect to replace all the healthcare workers who will have to stop work if their kids can't go to school? Do you have any idea what percentage of nurses are women with kids at home? Do you know how many of them could suddenly find immediate and affordable replacement childcare?

Do you really want to reduce the availability of healthcare providers now? Really??

Teachers can be repurposed as day care workers. Rent a hotel and there you are.

You cannot be serious. Please tell me you are not this dim.