Kirsty Williams has now announced that schools in Wales will begin again on June 29th for all year groups with no more than a third of the students being present at any time and for it to be ‘check in/catch up’ time with teachers and there will still be a strong focus on working from home. The Summer term will also be extended until July 27th.

 

This seems a bit confusing but I’m quite pleased with this development. She has emphasised that there is no way we can just get back to normal right now and by including all year groups and yet not making any full time, it’s clear the well being of the students is what is driving this, rather than a childcare/get everyone back to work angle. It’s still all very vague but my headteacher has been in touch and he is awaiting the guidance next week but it looks like it will be down to the schools to decide on a timetable for students, which is encouraging.

 

Also, parents don’t have to send their children back if they still feel its unsafe. Let’s just hope we don’t get hit by a second wave before then.

OMG woke up to ambulance, paramedic cars and loads of police, all in PPE, at next door's. Two brothers live there that we rarely see, middle-aged, since one's family left him. Police wouldn't tell me a thing but a neighbour says they took both of them to hospital and have to wait for test results back. Both were apparently in a bad way. Corner-shop seemed to know that. Amazing how local corner shops get to know everything! One had come home from work Friday feeling very ill. Both travel by tube.

 

There was me thinking it was all over too. :(

 

On another note, my contact in the LEA says they've got Yr.6. back in from today but less than 50% turned up! Parents obviously worried. They'll phase the rest in from Monday, starting with R and Yr.1.

Absolute disgrace some newspaper headlines apparently rejoicing at 'letting Brits have summer holidays'. Without quarantining for 14 days as was originally proposed, travel on aircraft will lead to a rise in coronavirus cases once the travellers get back to the UK as it is practically impossible to social distance on a plane. So even if the country people are travelling too is low risk like Greece, the very transport will lead to the virus spread.

 

More likely them celebrating exporting coronavirus to bloody foreigners. Most of the traditional UK holiday faves are much safer than being in the UK - Florida excepted. Can't have Johnny Foreigner making Rule Britannia look bad in comparison.

 

Portugal actually needs and wants UK tourists despite the risk to them, and they seem very well sorted, right from Airport testing and infrastructure to trace, test observe rules. I've been watching my "holiday-that-wasn't" webcams in The Canaries Playa Del Ingles daily just to torture myself, and businesses are busy sorting for social distancing, refurb generally, and clearly gearing up for a life for safe-ish vistors - not including the UK or Sweden! Social distancing not a thing while working away from tourists cos Covid not much of a thing there anymore right now.

OMG woke up to ambulance, paramedic cars and loads of police, all in PPE, at next door's. Two brothers live there that we rarely see, middle-aged, since one's family left him. Police wouldn't tell me a thing but a neighbour says they took both of them to hospital and have to wait for test results back. Both were apparently in a bad way. Corner-shop seemed to know that. Amazing how local corner shops get to know everything! One had come home from work Friday feeling very ill. Both travel by tube.

 

There was me thinking it was all over too. :(

 

On another note, my contact in the LEA says they've got Yr.6. back in from today but less than 50% turned up! Parents obviously worried. They'll phase the rest in from Monday, starting with R and Yr.1.

From what I've seen, 50% is roughly the average attendance across the country.

The R0 is just so volatile it’s unreal. Berlin’s is jumping up and down like a bloody Yo-Yo. It’s currently 1,32 but yesterday was 1,95. Last week it was as low as 0,41.

 

The path out of lockdown is far too bumpy for the massive steps England is taking, especially as the numbers of cases are still so high

Closing this thread due to its length. Will reopen the next part momentarily.