OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary, Isle of Wight – National Education Union. Ed
Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand without good reason. So why should Government? Unsurprising that so many are unclear, when its messages appear confused, contradictory and convoluted.
Masks are mandatory since 30th November in crowded indoor areas, such as supermarkets and public transport, yet not in cinemas or theatres.
For over 20 months, expectations in medical facilities have been robust. Entry denied to all without a mask, except those exempt. Those supporting loved ones have mostly been denied entry. In veterinary practices, staff collect pets from the car park. Owners wait in cars.
Inadequate measures
Education guidance was updated this month. In secondary schools Government recommends masks for all when moving around the premises. In primary schools it only applies to adults.
Inadequate considering infection rates in children are stubbornly high. Those in early years education are rising most rapidly, yet mitigations are not. Covid relies on airborne transmission. Schoolchildren go home to families and transmit. After 20 months, many staff fail to understand why even more isn’t being done to improve ventilation and air filtration in all schools.
Public meeting in school
Interestingly, this week numbers were limited at a school consultation meeting. Attendees had to wear a mask, social distance and register and take a Lateral Flow Test in advance. In the coming week, there is another meeting scheduled in Chillerton with attendees limited to 21. All perfectly understandable, yet arguably inequitable when compared with measures in education.
Farrar: “Closer to the start of the pandemic than the end”
More robust school mitigations are still needed, if schools are to keep pupils learning?
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and until recently a government scientific adviser said: We are “closer to the start of the pandemic than the end”. He regretted the lack of political leadership over Covid.
Ostriches aren’t stupid enough to bury their head in the sand
This is where any Government similarity to ostriches ends. Ostriches aren’t stupid enough to bury their head in the sand. In reality, acting as good parents, lowering heads to be camouflaged protecting children when faced with danger.
Leaders aren’t ostriches. They need to communicate better and do much more to protect school children, staff and the country at large.
Image: Evgeni Tcherkasski under CC BY 2.0
