Schools and coronavirus - how is it going in Scotland after two weeks?

Greater Glasgow Health Board have issued this video, due to the increased demand for Coronovirus testing by anxious parents.

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Not sure I’m correct but hasn’t Glasgow experienced a sudden surge in people testing positive?

There was a surge in parents being asked to take children and babies to be tested as childminders and schools were classing runny noses and cold symptoms as a reason to test and children not being allowed back until they had a negative test. The Scottish Government had to issue guidelines about runny noses and common cold symptoms! We had to take DGS2 - it was negative - childminder happy!!! However we have now had 6 months of virtually no colds, tummy bugs etc and in the first week of going back lots of kids have developed these viruses so it does highlight that children are super spreaders!

2 of my GC are at school in Scotland. Colds and sore throats have been rife in the past 2 weeks. Not unusual when they are all reunited after a “normal” summer break. But it does concern me that all the measures in place to prevent spread of coronavirus failed to prevent the spread of the cold virus.

Grannynannywanny that's a very good point.

There has been a spike in Glasgow, but it's mainly community based, caused by people socialising in households and a few cases in people returning from abroad.

As a shielder I have been advised to stay at home again, because people haven't been following the guidelines and I'm none to pleased about the selfish behaviour of these people. ?

A local primary has had a child test positive for the virus but I don't think the school was closed. Even with all the measures a school takes, children will be mixing outside and parents congregate at school gates. The school can minimise the spread, but not stop it altogether.

So far so good. Everyone is being very cautious and children are being kept off school if they have a sniffle and the increased demand for tests has caused problems with getting tested locally. Things will settle as people become more confident. I am encouraged that this too will pass now that Wuhan seems to be getting back to normal according to the news.

GD aged 10 was sent home from school (2nd day of term) with high temperature and cough. Brother also sent home but with less drastic symptoms.

Mum immediately phoned for test. Tests were a long time coming but proved negative.
However both children were quite ill with nasty coughs and constant high temperatures for over a week. Genuinely needed to be at home but gp (in a phone call) diagnosed a virus to be treated with Calpol and plenty of liquids.

After 2 weeks off they'll go back on Monday.

3 of mine have been sent home with coughs and high temperatures waiting for tests to arrive as they are quite a distance from town.Its a worry as their mum has long term illness and Dad is working abroad this week.He gets tested regularly for work so it hasn't come from him .The schools are all full of bugs its a "normal" year ramped up by no contact for monthsI 'm in a tourist area and we're back in partial lockdown ,not that we've been out much and thats how it'll stay

Oh Paddyanne, I'm sorry to hear that, especially as your daughter is vulnerable.
The wee ones must be finding it all very unsettling, having to stay off after just getting back to school.
I hope you you get the tests soon and a negative result.

Fingers crossed paddyane for negative results. ?

I'm sorry to hear that paddyanne. You've all had a tough time of it.

My dd works at the heart of this issue for schools. So far, there has been no cause for concern in her local schools. There has been an outbreak in the area but it emanated in a workplace, not a school.

Anecdotally, she has noted that her own dd had been back at nursery for some time without having any illnesses but as soon as schools went back, the colds began again.

The Scottish NHS was advising all parents in her area to get a test for a child with a runny nose, so they have brought the over-testing problem on themselves. Now, they’ve changed their minds and say no testing for runny noses.

At no time did I see NHSS advice that runny noses should lead to testing!
We were genuinely concerned that the children showed real covid symptoms. With a disabled mum and no access to a car within the immediate household the only option was postal tests.
As I said, the children were really quite unwell, negative tests notwithstanding.

Sister's DS also had to be tested but as mum is frontline at local hospital, and therefore has priority 1A, he was tested and given negative results in less than 48 hours.
? for you paddyanne.

What is really strange is that the video link I gave, no longer works. It's marked as Private.
I wonder if the advice has changed.

It is so worrying for all who have children and grandchildren at school.
My four year old granddaughter was shielding prior to starting school, I can't stop worrying about her.

Mcem when my DD’s little one had her test, there was no advice at all on the NHS Scotland website. My dd spent most of a morning calling various phone numbers the NHS gave her, passing her from pillar to post. No one seemed to know what to do.

It’s highly unlikely her dd was the first child to have a cold post-pandemic so you’d have thought someone in the NHS would have had the foresight to write a protocol particularly with schools in mind.

We followed the general advice about spotting symptoms and ordering tests. I agree there was no specific advice at that stage for runny noses in children. The problem we had was in obtaining tests for valid reasons ie for covid-type symptoms.
Had there been a little less overreaction about sniffles then those who actually needed the tests wouldn't have had to wait.

Hence the message reinforcing the point that a runny nose didn't justify testing.

We are in Tayside area and acted on the advice of the school plus the guidance on the website. Phoning 111 took us to the UK site where we were told that tests were not available. Persistence finally paid off.
I hope that NHS has now upped their game and ensured a sufficient supply to deal with the inevitable demand as English schools settle in.

This is a seesaw issue for me. On the one hand I have concerns that the results of this will not be apparent for some time. Although I do know that so many reasonable measures are now in place to protect us.

In the other side

Children were telling me how happy they were to be in a bubble with their friends, that they could touch each other and hug again... Which they demonstrated. It was beautiful.

There are a lot of vulnerable children out there though that are still shielding and nothing has been put in place for them or their parents who are missing work etc and that greatly concerns me

We overlook a school and it's playing field. It's a lovely sight to see just the fun the children are having. The noise is considerable especially at break but it's nice to see them running about and laughing.
DGSs seem OK so far but they always seem to come down with colds in Septembers in the past. I'm sure they will again and I'm equally sure I'll worry about them. The school in question seems to have made a good effort with the Covid precautions. The parents all wear masks at collection time I noticed.