Coronavirus - Here come the variants

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

They do when you’re putting forward their cases to argue for it.

[farmerinthecity]

@Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy

If I was unhappy with my job or career I would leave and move on.

Or spend time on the internet all day.

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

Few teachers on here who find the time.

[the_man_himself]

Why is a teacher more likely than a student to close down a school? Genuine question

[carryharry]

Sake

[Spidey]

How is a teacher going on maternity leave in late April/May timed well? It’s probably the worst possible timing given their maternity leave will mostly be made up of their summer holidays. The ideal time to go on maternity leave would be late August/early September so they get the maternity leave straight after their holidays. You’ve mugged yourself off good and proper here

[carryharry]

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

Is it not 39 weeks?

[backinatracksuit]

Theoretically (and in practice) teachers or SNAs would have more close contacts around the school, it’s a simple domino effect
The HSE come in and go through all movement with a fine tooth comb, this is my understanding of it, teachers more likely to be symptomatic as well I believe,

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

The underpants sniffer is on the scene.

[carryharry]

Twice today you’ve been royally mugged off. Sort yourself out.

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

You don’t even know what’s going on here.

[Gman]

to add to @backinatracksuit point, the school can function if a pod of kids arent in school. The school cant function if a teacher and other close contacts of that teacher arent in. Teachers are more likely to be close contacts of each other, so the possibility is there that one teacher could take another couple out with them. The solution to teachers being out is sub teachers. With limited supplies of sub teachers plus the whole covid transfer and contacts issues that also brings, teachers being out will cause more hassle than students being out.

[the_man_himself]

Fair enough. I would say in practice that the kids have more close contacts though? Is every kid in a classroom deemed a close contact of the teacher? Surely not, whereas kids will be in contact in close spaces much more often that a teacher with a child?

If they’re symptomatic they shouldn’t be in so I think that’s a separate point

[Declan_Moffat]

I don’t know what it’s like at home but in the UK, a school could close if there wasn’t enough qualified First aid on site. Since we reopened in March, we’ve had to shut 3 year groups and had more self isolating in other year groups. Think we were down to 50% attendance at one point in the last week before the break. We were also very close to closing as one of the kitchen staff had to isolate and we’d only one first aider left.

[the_man_himself]

Yeah the schools being forced to close is probably the main reason for teachers being vaccinated sooner but at this stage there’s probably no point for the secondary teachers anyway as by the time the vaccine works it will only be a few weeks until the end of term

[Gman]

yeah the secondary school issue is already getting too close to the summer holidays so would have had little impact one way or another. Primary a bit different though, I’d have put them ahead of secondary, considering most of them have already been back full time for a number of weeks over and above the secondary teachers.

[Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy]

I’m still interested in hearing this.

Is it not 39 weeks maternity leave in the south?

Is there not a requirement to return for work for a number of weeks before they can get paid the following summer?

[gilgamboa]

@Fulvio_From_Aughnacloy

Just lucky timing I suppose. Teachers seem to be very good at timing their pregnancies like that.

Jesus

[glasagusban]

I understand that at a macro level age is the major risk factor, but it’s been presented as absolute and I think it’s disingenuous.

In comments from various sources since the change it has been said that the decision is also to assist in speed.

This is only my opinion, but I think the decision was solely based on speed and their struggle with logistics and I think their age trumping everything argument is a fig leaf. I don’t think the age being the primary determination of risk argument stands up to scrutiny because it completely ignores risk of exposure. It seems clear to me that Gardaí are at significantly higher risk of exposure than a person working at home regardless of their age. Hence their risk is greater.

It is also my understanding that age trumping everything regarding risk does not hold true as you go down the ages, where BMI becomes a major factor. So again, I do the age over everything argument is disingenuous.

Why did they change from their initial priority list? Was their initial assessment of risk wrong or was it because they were struggling with implementing it, I think it was the latter.