The only reason I have called for kids to go back to school is because it's my personal belief that you can't stop people from living life simply due to a virus which 90 something percent of people will be largely unaffected by.
No one who supports school bans can give me an answer as to when kids should be able to return to school - which to me looks like they don't have a workable solution, they're just saying things without thinking.
How can anyone present a workable solution for something as unknown and unquantifiable as a pandemic? I can think of plenty of good questions the business as usual brigade haven't provided workable answers for....
- How do you ensure all children obey social distancing guidelines and preventative hygiene measures in the school environment? Kids are not exactly known for practicing good hygiene and the science on just how transmissible the disease is between children and from children to family members/ teachers etc is far from settled.
- How do you ensure people practice proper hygiene in the wider community and how do you provide adequate policing resources to ensure people don't continue to flout social distancing guidelines in public places, especially if resources are put under strain by outbreaks among the policing community? - something we have already seen in Victoria.
-How do you provide adequate public transport resources to ensure children can travel to school as safely as possible and social distancing requirements can be strictly observed?
-How can you definitively say the virus isn't an issue for children when the science is still not settled? School students have been found to carry the virus and there is so much that is still unknown about COVID. We are learning new things about the virus every day. The possibility of more long term impacts on children can not be ruled out.....the connection between COVID and higher instances of stroke that have been recorded in children in some areas can not be dismissed.
-How can you guarantee hospitals and health workers who are already under strain will be able to cope with an uncontained outbreak when they have already been stretched to breaking point in some areas?
I get that we can't stay in lockdown forever and that economic and mental health issues are a factor too, but don't accuse others of not thinking unless you have answers for all the unquantifiable questions which could be thrown your way.... the truth is these are uncharted waters for all of us and nobody on either side has all the answers.
I personally think we should have bunkered down for a little longer and I certainly think we should be acting quicker to close borders in the event of fresh outbreaks....we still have to learn a lot about this virus, but we do know it can spread very quickly if measures aren't taken to contain it and it is incorrect to say it isn't a big deal just because most people who catch it won't die or be hospitalised..... it is virulent enough to cause a lot of chaos due to how transmissible it is.
Criticise others for not having all the answers when you have them all yourself.