Oh, also -- it's not up to the employers to decide to give an essential worker letter out. You have to be employed in a critical infrastructure sector, as defined by the federal government.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been going to daycare this entire time, since we are essential workers.

There have been no cases among teachers or kids at her center.

I haven't heard of any cases in MD linked to daycares.

Are all the parents essential workers? My initial guess would be that essential workers are probably more aware of the risks and more careful about hygiene, etc. I would expect childcare facilities to become hotspots as the gen population gets back to work and there are more kids from parents who believe the virus is a hoax/not a risk or not social distancing.

Eh, I know a lot of people who are sending kids to daycare but still working from home now. Employers hand out ‘essential worker’ letters like candy.

But once people start going out to restaurants etc, all bets are off.

You can qualify as an essential worker and still work from home. My husband is an essential worker because he is an executive for a major food distribution company. He has to be able to ensure his company runs smoothly and is able to continue providing an essential service.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is key. Kids are often asymptomatic. Unless they are tested regularly you aren’t going to document an outbreak. Childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now and will continue to be a major risk until a vaccine exists.

Can you prove that childcare is one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now?

Can you prove that it’s not?
It’s the only unmasked close quarters gathering of large groups allowed in the entire country right now.

1. It's not large groups. My daughter goes to daycare and there are maybe 50 kids there spread across 16 classrooms.

2. It's not prudent to throw statements out there when your only evidence is "well do we know it's NOT happening"?

I'm not saying there are zero cases at daycares. But you clearly have no evidence that "childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now."

Where else are people within inches of each others faces without masks? How is that safe?

I'm not saying it's 100% safe. I'm saying you don't have evidence that ""childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is key. Kids are often asymptomatic. Unless they are tested regularly you aren’t going to document an outbreak. Childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now and will continue to be a major risk until a vaccine exists.

Can you prove that childcare is one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now?

Can you prove that it’s not?
It’s the only unmasked close quarters gathering of large groups allowed in the entire country right now.

1. It's not large groups. My daughter goes to daycare and there are maybe 50 kids there spread across 16 classrooms.

2. It's not prudent to throw statements out there when your only evidence is "well do we know it's NOT happening"?

I'm not saying there are zero cases at daycares. But you clearly have no evidence that "childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now."

Where else are people within inches of each others faces without masks? How is that safe?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been going to daycare this entire time, since we are essential workers.

There have been no cases among teachers or kids at her center.

I haven't heard of any cases in MD linked to daycares.

Are all the parents essential workers? My initial guess would be that essential workers are probably more aware of the risks and more careful about hygiene, etc. I would expect childcare facilities to become hotspots as the gen population gets back to work and there are more kids from parents who believe the virus is a hoax/not a risk or not social distancing.

Eh, I know a lot of people who are sending kids to daycare but still working from home now. Employers hand out ‘essential worker’ letters like candy.

But once people start going out to restaurants etc, all bets are off.

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t been advised by my pediatrician - I haven’t seen them since coronavirus started. Both my husband and I are working from home and are kids are home.

But my doctor friend IRL is not sending his kid daycare. It’s not easy - but his wife works full time from home now so it’s theoretically possible to not send the kid. At some point they may reconsider but they are watching the numbers and are not ready yet.

What are they looking for in the numbers? It seems to me, at a minimum, at 14-day period of declining positive tests, or whatever that 14 day benchmark is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is key. Kids are often asymptomatic. Unless they are tested regularly you aren’t going to document an outbreak. Childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now and will continue to be a major risk until a vaccine exists.

Can you prove that childcare is one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now?

Can you prove that it’s not?
It’s the only unmasked close quarters gathering of large groups allowed in the entire country right now.

1. It's not large groups. My daughter goes to daycare and there are maybe 50 kids there spread across 16 classrooms.

2. It's not prudent to throw statements out there when your only evidence is "well do we know it's NOT happening"?

I'm not saying there are zero cases at daycares. But you clearly have no evidence that "childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now."

I haven’t been advised by my pediatrician - I haven’t seen them since coronavirus started. Both my husband and I are working from home and are kids are home.

But my doctor friend IRL is not sending his kid daycare. It’s not easy - but his wife works full time from home now so it’s theoretically possible to not send the kid. At some point they may reconsider but they are watching the numbers and are not ready yet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been going to daycare this entire time, since we are essential workers.

There have been no cases among teachers or kids at her center.

I haven't heard of any cases in MD linked to daycares.

Are all the parents essential workers? My initial guess would be that essential workers are probably more aware of the risks and more careful about hygiene, etc. I would expect childcare facilities to become hotspots as the gen population gets back to work and there are more kids from parents who believe the virus is a hoax/not a risk or not social distancing.

Yes, of course the parents are essential workers; otherwise the center would not be able to operate.

The precautions I'm talking about are not dependent on parents. They are things that could be instituted with the general population as well. Things like required temp checks for kids & staff before they can enter the building, parents dropping off/picking up at the entrance and not be allowed inside, professional sanitization of the building, etc. Parents can kick and scream about it, but can't stop the school from continuing these practices.

Many of these precautions are only as good as the lack of an asymptomatic carrier getting in the center. You get one of those in the daycare center and you will have an outbreak. I just don't see how it's avoidable.

I think PP's point was the parents of essential workers are likely to be more cautious and thus prevent their kids from becoming asymptomatic carriers in the first place.

Anonymous wrote:I just looked up "covid outbreak preschool" in Google news and found zero articles about cases linked to preschools. As you all know, there are still many preschools serving essential workers.

While I don't doubt we will eventually find cases linked to preschools/daycares, I think you're overblowing the notion that "COVID will run like wildfire through them."

The places open now are taking a ton of precautions and I imagine they will have to continue to do so when they reopen to more kids.

I don't think I am. RSV certainly spread like wildfire this past winter and I don't think that is transmitted by asymptomatic kids.

The places open now, including those for essential workers, have fewer kids than they would otherwise, which helps.

I would like to think that the precautions will be enough but I'm just not there yet. As my DH would say I guess we will all find out together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is key. Kids are often asymptomatic. Unless they are tested regularly you aren’t going to document an outbreak. Childcare is absolutely one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now and will continue to be a major risk until a vaccine exists.

Can you prove that childcare is one of the primary factors contributing to spread right now?

Can you prove that it’s not?
It’s the only unmasked close quarters gathering of large groups allowed in the entire country right now.

Anonymous wrote:My manager's child went back to day care and there was an outbreak. The child tested positive and gave it to the older sibling. Luckily the symptoms are mild but still concerning. I wouldn't do day care unless I absolutely had no other choice.

Where was this?

My manager's child went back to day care and there was an outbreak. The child tested positive and gave it to the older sibling. Luckily the symptoms are mild but still concerning. I wouldn't do day care unless I absolutely had no other choice.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been going to daycare this entire time, since we are essential workers.

There have been no cases among teachers or kids at her center.

I haven't heard of any cases in MD linked to daycares.

Are all the parents essential workers? My initial guess would be that essential workers are probably more aware of the risks and more careful about hygiene, etc. I would expect childcare facilities to become hotspots as the gen population gets back to work and there are more kids from parents who believe the virus is a hoax/not a risk or not social distancing.

Yes, of course the parents are essential workers; otherwise the center would not be able to operate.

The precautions I'm talking about are not dependent on parents. They are things that could be instituted with the general population as well. Things like required temp checks for kids & staff before they can enter the building, parents dropping off/picking up at the entrance and not be allowed inside, professional sanitization of the building, etc. Parents can kick and scream about it, but can't stop the school from continuing these practices.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter has been going to daycare this entire time, since we are essential workers.

There have been no cases among teachers or kids at her center.

I haven't heard of any cases in MD linked to daycares.

Are all the parents essential workers? My initial guess would be that essential workers are probably more aware of the risks and more careful about hygiene, etc. I would expect childcare facilities to become hotspots as the gen population gets back to work and there are more kids from parents who believe the virus is a hoax/not a risk or not social distancing.