Have had a complete meltdown at work! [sad]

Not over the top at all. You have every right to be concerned about the lack of social distancing possible in school.

I would think you'll have a telephone appointment with your GP, then if a prescription is required it will be ready at the pharmacy for you to collect. That's what my husband has had twice during lockdown.

It sounds like you've been working hard and need a break now. You haven't let the team down and I hope they won't think that.

You seem to be a perfect example of the problems that lie ahead. Stop beating yourself up.

Hope you feel better soon.

It seems to me your understandable and human reaction will soon be replicated across the country evie across all sorts of work settings. Please don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure your GP will understand, after all most are only offering telephone consultations at the moment. Be honest in your consultation, the telephone or a video call will work just as well as face to face. Please stop blaming yourself, your reaction is understandable, be gentle and allow yourself to recover.

Evie64, nobody should be expected to work in an unsafe situation.

You have judged, quite correctly, that at 65 with chronic bronchitis, the risk of catching Covid and becoming very unwell, is unacceptable to you.

Other people at work, perhaps younger, with no health conditions, feel confident and ignore social distancing.

You have every right to stay at home until your employer can do a risk assessment and make changes to ensure your safety.

Regardless of that legal situation, I'd be inclined to stay away completely. Take sick leave while you weigh up the options available to you. Maybe it's time to retire?

If you work in admin could you work in an office by yourself and would wearing a face mask when you have to leave the office help?

Evie be kind to yourself, you’re not being over the top, you’re overwrought and I hope your gp is supportive.

If it’s admin work could the school give you work to do at home (when you are ready)?

I know someone who is early 60’s with chronic asthma and her employee said she was to stay at home for 12 weeks, without working, but on full pay.

This is a time to let fitter people do the work I think, and put your health first.

You sound as though you have been overdoing it - taking too much responsibility and now it is time to rest up.
Of course you will be feeling as though you are letting the side down but you are no earthly use exhausted and weepy.

My DB who is a teacher in Denmark has been back at school a month but it is older children and even then he says they are fine in the classroom but as soon as they are outside they are back to the usual unsafe distancing.

On the plus side, the virus doesn't carry well out doors and prefers a cold dark cave to flourish - remember the bats?
Children don't seem to be passing it on, the way they do with every other virus or infection.
Take care Evie you are not alone.

Things have a way of mounting up and suddenly being too much Evie64 happens to all of us at some point especially in this current crisis.
Puzzler61 had some good advice, look after yourself now.

Evie64 be kind to yourself. You have had a perfectly natural reaction to a frightening situation. My daughter despairs too. She cannot see how she can guarantee the safety of her staff and the children.

She too has been in every single day since lockdown and echoes everything you say. I doubt she has slept and now one of her own children has developed a cough and a high temperature and she cannot get a test kit or an appointment to be tested when she tried yesterday.

She has just rung to say that she has opted to stay at home today and I have said the same to her as people are saying to you.

Evie64 I'm so glad you are seeking help for yourself, it sounds as though you are burned out with anxiety and your mind and body are giving you a very clear message. I'm sure your doctor will be able to help you through this but you must take the time you need to get better. You sound like someone who cares deeply about your work but there are some telling phrases in your post: "can barely get out of bed some days" "feel like I've let the team down" that confirm that the balance between your work and your health is out of kilter. Be gentle with yourself and take time to heal.

Evie The school office is a busy place, everyone comes there at some point in the day. The tape on the floor can easily be ignored, or not even noticed. When you do go back to work, perhaps a practical solution to ONE of your stress factors (the 2 m exclusion zone round your desk) would be to reinforce the tape with a row of chairs facing outwards along the tape line. Chairs are plentiful in schools, and harder to miss than a thin line of tape!

That would stop anyone coming in to speak to you from getting too close - and they could sit down to talk, which they might appreciate if they have been standing to teach.

I have nothing to add but send you some and my love x

It is perfectly understandable how you are feeling. Everything we hear is saying about getting children back to school, but no one seems to be saying about the staff that will be at schools.

I work in a school and I am really worried about going back. I know social distancing will not be observed. I have my adult child at home with an underlying health condition and I am really concerned about bringing the virus home.

I hope that your doctor is able to help you.

I think your reaction is totally proportionate to the risk. You’re completely normal. I wouldn’t be happy with the GP diagnosing anything because that suggests a problem YOU have that YOU need to work on.

How crazy would you have to be, to be in your situation, with your age and health issues and not be bloody scared.

Your employer should be making arrangements for you to work from home where possible and where not, for you be isolated at work with strict social distancing measures.

Good luck op. Be kind to yourself. I’m On maternity leave but has been contacted by work that triggered a breakdown in me. It’s a horrible guilt inducing feeling that makes you feel like a total failure. You’re. Not.

I'm surprised that because of your health issues, that you are not one of those shielding.
I can really understand how you feel that everything has fallen apart. You will not be the only one that is struggling with the fear that is affecting all of us in some way or other.
Please ask your GP to sign you off work, be kind to yourself, take a break and you will then be ready to start again. Just make sure that your school is fully aware what is happening - it's their responsibility to make sure you are working in a safe environment when you go back.

As mentioned by others, you are experiencing a natural reaction to being in a very vulnerable position. It’s time to think about yourself!
Get your health “sorted” with your GP first. Then catch up on sleep and rest. Stay at home for as long as it takes till you feel calmer and less anxious.
Don’t feel guilty you are letting down those back at school. You cannot do your job properly feeling as you do.

You need time to recuperate and recharge your batteries. The past few months in school must have been draining under the circumstances.
I worked in schools for many years...People tend to forget the number of adults and helpers who work in or visit a school, other than the staff&head teacher...There are admin staff, class assistants &helpers, caretakers, cleaners, groundsmen, Playground supervisors, cooks & lunch servers, peripatetic music teachers, some of whom may be “vulnerable”. All are at risk from this awful virus.
I hope you will feel better soon!

Evie64 please don't feel pressured by your school. I know how sometimes it can seem that you are in some way not being a team player but really look at it from another point of view. It was part of the responsibility of every adult in the school to ensure that you were safe and happy and you obviously were neither. Consult your doctor, take some time off and while you are resting write down exactly what measures you think need to be introduced to keep you safe. Then submit them to the Head for implementation before you agree to go back to work. You should be proud of yourself. You could have refused to go into school and insisted you needed to self isolate. You didn't. You did your best and carried on working. Now you need to think of yourself and they need to support you. Good luck hope you can get things sorted.

Evie, I am also surprised that you aren’t shielding.
You are probably over tired and overwrought and need a rest. I think speaking to your GP is a good idea and if you get signed off sick for a while, that might help and relieve the pressure.

I am sorry to hear that things are so tough, you need some help and support. All good wishes, ?

I've made the assumption that your doctor knows about your chronic bronchitis/coughing. He/she will really understand your worries. A phone call and/or a video call should be possible. They need to know you have a cough.
I've had to contact our surgery a couple of time (DH's medication). They were so helpful.

I'm shocked to read on a comment here that some can't get a test even though they have a cough and high temperature.

Curlygirl, in regard to your opening post, despite the present crisis and the emergency regulations that surround that situation employers must still comply with all that is laid down under the Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) especially at present in regard to Covid-19. The above act states that an employer must carry out "ALL THAT IS REASONABLY AND PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE" to provide a safe working environment for employees throughout all their working duties.

Therefore employers should add an assessment for Covid-19 to the existing risk assessments and risk reduction measures that should be in place for all other regular operations that are carried out by employees in any workplace.

Although many have probably never heard of it, Section 44 Employment Rights Act 1996 could be considered the cornerstone of the UK’s Health & Safety at Work legislation.

Section 44. provides employees with the means to contest the adequacy and/or suitability of safety arrangements without fear of recriminations (e.g. getting sacked or transferred) or suffering detriment (e.g. loss of wages).

That section also provides employees with the ‘right’ to withdraw from and to refuse to return to a workplace that is unsafe. Employees are entitled to remain away from the workplace (e.g. stay at home) if in their opinion the prevailing circumstances represent a real risk of serious and imminent danger which they could not be expected to avert.

Section 44. entitles employees to claim for ‘Constructive Dismissal’ and (unlimited) compensation in the event that an employer fails to maintain safe working conditions. The foregoing means employees don’t have to wait until they (or someone else) suffer injury or illness before they can take action to get suitably safe working conditions.

Section 44. leaves employees with no excuse whatsoever for tolerating unsafe working conditions and acts as a deterrent against an employer either deliberately or carelessly devoting inadequate resources to the protection of safety in their workplace.

Therefore Curlygirl, I would suggest that you place a formal grievance hearing application before your employer citing what you feel are unsatisfactory safely standards in regard to Covid-19. In that application, you could also state that you will not be attending your workplace under section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 until safety standards in regard to Coronavirus are improved or it is proven to you that existing safety standards are "as far as practically possible" adequate.

If you are a member of a trade union Curlygirl, I would inform them of your concerns as they will send a representative to accompany you to the grievance hearing.

Hope the above helps

Evie with your age and not feeling well/or on top of things,
Have you thought ( as asked by Hetty58) of retiring, now you're 65? It may be a good time to do so.
Lots of other good advice from others on here too.

Grandad...the OP is Evie not curlygirl.

Hi all, up at silly o'clock again as couldn't sleep again. I can't tell you how appreciative I am of all your advice and kind words. I did an e-consult with my GP today and he rang me back. He's signed me off for a month and given me antidepressants so I now have the chance to rest and recharge and think about how I wish to proceed. A lot of you have suggested retirement, which is an option, but as a woman born in the 50's I don't get my pension until I'm 66. However, my mental and physical health is more important. Thanks so much to Grandad1943 as I have now contacted my union, Unison, who have been very supportive and agreed to accompany me to a meeting at work if I decide I need them to. I can assure you all that I will not be returning to my workplace until I am sure it is safe to do so, which may well be September? Thanks again to all of you xxxx

Well done, evie. Time to rest and recover now.

So great to see all the fantastic support grans (and grandads) have offered to evie. It sounds as if you just need to take the time to think things over and relax now