Looking forward to the ‘roadmap’

Tere 53 : I really hope that your son will be able to go back to day care and respite care soon. I imagine that's very hard for you without a break and not good for him to have lost other interactions with people outside the home.
My son with learning disabilities is in a care home and we've not been able to see him since October so am looking forward to that changing. He has managed much better than we expected, not be able to do his normal activities, but we have really missed seeing him.

As we've managed to vaccinate so many in such a wonderfully short time, I bet it wouldn't be impossible to get all the teachers vaccinated in these two weeks before schools re-open.
As for the group 6 vulnerable, my daughter-in-law has CAH (adrenal hyperplasia) and was vaccinated last week. She is 43. My daughter who lives with her got a surprise call from the surgery the day before and was told she might as well come along too and have hers, so she did. She is only 40 (couple of health issues but nothing terrible) I reckon it depends where you live. They are in the depths of Cornwall so maybe if the practice has more than enough vaccine to cover their older patients, they can cover more groups more quickly. Like rosie1959 I'd love to see my diabetic grand-daughter vaccinated too but as she's only 12 she's probably still a way down the list.

Schools should NOT open until disease under control and safety measures in schools implemented. Otherwise deaths will follow. Thousands of children have covid.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I would like to hear that my 36 year son with severe Learning disabilities can go back to his day care facility and respite care , he lives at home with just me and hasnt had any carers support since last March.

I agree Suziewoozie

Let’s hope it’s a cunning plan! ?

I want my dgc all to see their friends, they are actually unschooled at home anyway but they still go to groups and drama and cubs, and if schools are back then these will hopefully reopen, however, its blooming daft to open them all at once seeing as they haven't gotten all teaching staff vaccinated yet!!
If all of a sudden those kids all go back with no PPE yes, they should be ok, but they will just start the cycle up again, and up once more go the numbers!
They have all this time, and they waste it as much as they waste taxpayers money.

People are meeting up outside here too so I was confused at the 'you can now meet another household outside'
and the 'you can meet for a coffee' why the obsession with coffee?

I too can easily do without sport, but not music. If they prioritise sport for the economy, music is just as important revenue wise. Then there are all the, often self employed, support workers, who organise transport and equipment for festivals, and the small caterers, many offering wonderful and unusual food. I REALLY hope some of the smaller festivals will be allowed to go on.

I would prefer the pupils in England to return in stages rather all at once, easier to deal with any problems that arise.
The programme for social interaction seems very slow to me, given that once schools are open parents of junior school pupils will be meeting in droves anyway.
As far as those businesses that will be aske to stay closed until May are concerned, many of them simply won't survive.
If we're only allowed to meet people outside, the weather will need to improve!
Who could have thought just over a year ago that this would be a forum topic...

I don't believe they will be. Does that mean I'm not stupid.

By what I’ve witnessed over the weekend there has been more like 10 people meeting up outside, different members of families and friends. Boris giving go ahead for rule of 6 is ludicrous this will not be adhered to by many, the pictures on the news showing parks canal paths beaches all packed over the weekend they were not sticking to those rules so most definitely rule of 6 will be out the window. My local town alone had hot take away food stalls over the weekend there must have been at least 500 people with children and dogs all standing around chatting shoulder to shoulder. I think we are stupid if we believe these rules will be adhered to.

Of course I am interested in the "Road Map" but no matter what it is, it will be too slow for some, too quick for others and no-one will be satisfied.
I suspect the reason that many things the public feel could safely do, like play golf, are not as clear cut as we think. Blanket rules may feel like overkill but when you consider the arguments about what is considered a main meal or snack, it just causes more problems than it solves. Can you imagine the headlines if Golf (normally a richer person's sport) was allowed but other lowlier sports weren't? Also, it isn't the sport itself that is a problem but the way it proceeds. For example, team sports often mean that the players have to travel to compete. They tend to share lifts, changing rooms, etc, etc. Add to it the injuries that mount up from it and you have your reason why those sports are not suitable in a pandemic.
People have to eat so Supermarkets have to open. People generally do not have to go to the pub...that's why they are closed. Drinking takes away judgement so until we are in the clear, it seems sensible to be cautious.

My husband turned to me yesterday evening and said ‘when did we replace the term plan with roadmap’? I replied ‘when difficult things stopped being demanding and became a big ask’!

Jaxjacky do those statistics take any account of how many people have actually been visiting pubs & supermarkets?
Especially as pubs have been closed a lot of the time.

If not, the statistics don't mean much.

? for us both JaneJ.

I am glad I am not the only one puzzler61 I don't think it being such a dull, grey February day is helping.

I went off topic - schools operating safely should obviously be prioritised over sport anyway.

I would like someone to explain why I am seeing footballers and tennis players on TV hold each other close during or at the end of matches.
It sends out completely the wrong message to viewers - and yet still it goes on.
I agree sport is important to a lot of people’s well-being - but only if it’s safe. Otherwise exercise on your own.
Sorry for the moan, I’m having an off day.

My daughter is in group 6 or group 4 if you take into account JCVI advice, still hasn't had a vaccine - I think there must be a lot of regional differences in roll out. I sound like a dog with a bone here, I know.

Anyway there will be some references to football
some suggestion we are all doing a group effort for the country
some lies about how care homes are protected
some reference to the war
lots of blather

No, I am not a fan

Jaxjacky, we can do without pubs but we couldn’t manage without supermarkets. Harsh but true.

Calendargirl

Re schools and exams.

My GS is due to take his GCSE’s this summer. DS said they had an online Parents/Teachers evening recently. At the start of each slot, every teacher began with “Before you ask about exams, we don’t know anything yet”, which of course is what everyone wanted to know.

No idea how it will all work out.

The teachers are quite right. The details haven't been finalised.

Although I don't teach in schools, I have a private tutee whom I've been teaching at home because her school doesn't offer German (the subject I teach). I attended an online training course last week. Some details are trickling out, but there are still many unanswered questions. The exam boards themselves are still awaiting confirmation of their plans from the government and Ofqual, who are playing each other off against each other. Frankly, it's a disgrace.

X posts grow.

Sara1954

I really hope we will be given a date for the schools to return, we have three grandchildren living with us, and are becoming quite worried about the ten year old, who is becoming withdrawn and sad it’s not helped by the fact that most of her friends are actually at school!

I think it’s a cast iron certainty that schools will open to all children from 8th - def primary and maybe a small phasing in of secondary because organising the testing poses some operational challenges ( to say the least)