Ministers Could Announce End of Automatic Isolation for English Pupils in Days

Following a good deal of pressure to end the policy of sending schoolchildren home if someone in their ‘bubble’ tests positive – which the Telegraph has launched a new campaign against today – the Government is said to have decided that pupils will no longer be required to automatically isolate. The change is likely to occur when schools return in September, with an announcement to be made in the coming days. A testing regime is likely to be introduced in the place of automatic isolation.

The Guardian has the story.

A quarter of a million children missed school in a single week because of coronavirus infections, self-isolation or school closures this month – the most disrupted week since schools fully reopened across the country in March.

It came as the new Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, said most Covid restrictions in England “must come to an end” on July 19th…

But, in a move likely to anger some Conservative backbenchers, he did not rule out keeping measures such as masks and social distancing in place.

The Guardian understands that ministers plan to overhaul the system for pupils, under which they are separated into bubbles – sometimes numbering more than 200 children – and forced to quarantine at home if anyone in their group tests positive for Covid.

An announcement is expected to be made in coming days to give schools time to prepare for the return in September, likely to be replaced with a testing regime.

A senior Government source said: “We will have a different system when schools return in September which combines proportionate protections when someone tests positive with trying as much as possible to keep schools open.”

The Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, confirmed on Tuesday morning that the Government was conducting trials of daily testing in secondary schools which were due to be completed on Wednesday. This regime would enable schoolchildren to go into school provided they receive a negative result, eliminating the need for the entire classroom to self-isolate when a single child contracts the virus.

“We’ll look at the data and see whether that is an effective alternative to self-isolation,” Gibb told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme…

Steve Brine, a former Health Minister, said he was “looking for a change in policy as much as a change of tone” [following the replacement of Matt Hancock by Sajid Javid] and called for the rules on isolation bubbles to be overhauled. “Haven’t our young people suffered enough?” he asked. “Are we really going to continue to do this to ourselves?”

Jason McCartney, the Tory MP for Colne Valley, said children and families were being forced to isolate up to four times in a matter of months. He said it was “having a huge impact on education, mental health and wellbeing” and called for extra PCR testing and a new approach to the policy.

Areas in northern England have been particularly affected by the rise in children isolating, with Government figures showing one in 30 children in state schools were out of the classroom on June 17th. That included 9,000 pupils with confirmed Covid and 16,000 with suspected coronavirus, and more than 7,000 whose schools had shut because of outbreaks.

Worth reading in full.

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realarthurdent
4 years ago

“A testing regime is likely to be introduced in the place of automatic isolation.”

So our kids get their tonsils scraped with a chemical laden swab on a regular basis. FOR NO GOOD REASON. Children are at statistically zero risk of death or serious illness from coronavirus.

No.
No.
No.

Andrea Salford
4 years ago
Reply to  realarthurdent

What happened to all restrictions lifted on 19 July?

Julian
4 years ago
Reply to  Andrea Salford

I don’t think they ever said “all” without any caveats and I suspect also that coerced mass testing is not seen as a restriction, which it clearly is. The contracts for testing, track and trace, propaganda and vaccines have been signed well into the future.

Sceptical Steve
Sceptical Steve
4 years ago
Reply to  Julian

I think the original wording of Johnson’s roadmap was that “he hoped and expected all restrictions would be lifted, no earlier then 21 June”. In true Orwellian fashion, this message has been repeatedly weakened by Johnson and his colleagues so that few of us expect the restrictions to end completely, but the original statement was clear, with only the timing subject to change. (Also, it’s as well to be particularly wary of government spokesmen giving very upbeat messages in the days immediately before byelections, and then backtracking when the votes have been counted.)

Julian
4 years ago

I am quite sure that he was talking about headline restrictions that forced businesses to close or restrict customer numbers. He probably regards mass testing, track and trace, vaccines, covid propaganda, requirements to test and quarantine for international travel as sensible and essential public health precautions, and by now the public probably also think that as they’ve been brainwashed into it. The idea that we’ll return to 2019 and treat covid as just another virus is fanciful.

Lockdown Sceptic
4 years ago
Reply to  realarthurdent

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RickH
4 years ago

Watch out – a new danger.

Ending a totally insane situation will be treated as ‘good news’. Another old trick in a new bottle.

Julian
4 years ago
Reply to  RickH

Indeed, and in this case ending one insane situation (forced self isolation) with another one (forced testing). Testing may be less damaging, but it’s no less insane, costs money and perpetuates the madness. In fact it may well push the “case” numbers up.

We will not be out of the woods until measures are rolled back and NO mitigation or replacement is put their place – until it is admitted they were all futile. If I am lucky I have a few decades left, and I don’t think I will see it in my lifetime.

I suspect we’re moving towards a situation where it’ll be necessary to test yourself often to be able to access anything. Illusion of control and safety, crony contracts.

iainclark
iainclark
4 years ago
Reply to  Julian

Hancock spent many millions on tests so that have to be used somehow.

iainclark
iainclark
4 years ago

If testing will replace isolation in September then we’re not back to normal.

Julian
4 years ago
Reply to  iainclark

Anyone who thinks we will be back to normal in September needs their head read, to quote Kerry Packer.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago

Poor children at the mercy now of sick politicians and ‘scientists’. The real data does not warrant any of this.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago

More testing means more test kits and ppe, which means more storage for test kits and storage, which means more money for ‘anyone’ with storage facilities, a nice little earner along with all the others.

HelenaHancart
HelenaHancart
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

And all those resources and plastic and stuff, sort of goes against the Green agenda somewhat, doesn’t it? But hey, we won’t talk about that…

robnicholson
robnicholson
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

And don’t rattle the environmental cage!

Jo Starlin
4 years ago

I think the following is the best article I’ve ever read on this criminal insanity, genuinely.

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/the-war-on-reality-gutentag

Bella Donna
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo Starlin

Yes it was and I’ve shared it again.

vargas99
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo Starlin

I quite agree. Possibly even the brainwashed masses would also be able to read and understand it (if they were ever willing to).

ellie-em
4 years ago
Reply to  Jo Starlin

Thank you for this.

dante
4 years ago

Daily testing of children to allow them to go to school… Nope, not in my home.

Bella Donna
4 years ago

For as long as this goes on we will never be free whilst we have a Government of Occupation!!

Bella Donna
4 years ago

I’ve had 3 letters from the NHS/affiliated with Imperial College over the past 3 weeks asking me to take part in a Covid testing programme, it seems my GP has put my name forward, probably because I refused the jab. Has anyone else been targeted?

John
4 years ago
Reply to  Bella Donna

Is this the antibody test? I’ve done it, and it isn’t because you haven’t had the vaccination. In fact they specifically stated that you could take part if you had had the vaccination, this being the exception rather than the rule. If it is the same study then they’re looking for the prevalence of antibodies in the general population.

Bella Donna
4 years ago
Reply to  John

They didn’t mention antibodies.

Fingerache Philip
Fingerache Philip
4 years ago
Reply to  John

Snap.

DanClarke
DanClarke
4 years ago

I know an experienced teacher who tells me its ridiculous that her school has once again been isolated because one child tested positive. But she is still isolating, following all of the rules. Her young daughter has been tearful she tells me but blames other things, not the pressures of all of this, the testing her mother is continuing with, following orders. I just cannot understand the logic, says its ridiculous then following orders.

Cranmer
Cranmer
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

At least that’s an advance on, say, 6 months ago when most people were following orders and NOT thinking it was ridiculous.

Rowland P
Rowland P
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

Why don’t all schools refuse to follow the “rules” and then see how the establishment manages to deal with mass lawful disobedience.

Betty W
Betty W
4 years ago
Reply to  DanClarke

It’s incredible isn’t it? I’ve pretty much stopped talking to friends and acquaintances about the illogicality of it all as despite the glaring flaws in every single mandate, legally enforced ‘guidelines’ etc, no one is prepared to agree that we’ve been utterly shafted. They just stare vacantly and say ‘yes, but…’ No counter arguments, no analysis, just compliance. Makes me very depressed. Can’t see a way out of that- if people aren’t prepared to question things, the govt have won and we are sunk.

HelenaHancart
HelenaHancart
4 years ago

Remember the good old days, that when you were ill, you knew it and so did your mum, and you had a day off? How dangerous and risk taking was was that? How on earth did we survive? 🙄

alw
alw
4 years ago

The testing is a scam. We should only test seriously ill people. Don’t comply.

Julian
4 years ago
Reply to  alw

I suspect by and large people who post here are not complying but it’s tricky if you need to travel abroad for work or to see family or to attend to important personal business, and tricky if your employer insists on it as a condition of your work

Happy in the haze
Happy in the haze
4 years ago
Reply to  Julian

Easy if it’s a DIY at home LFT test. Just say “negative”; giving the code on the test stick and throw it all in the bin.
PCR tests for travel more tricky unfortunately.

Julian
4 years ago

Yes, good point about LFTs at home

SweetBabyCheeses
4 years ago

I don’t think that’s really in the spirit of what we’re trying to achieve here. How about you tell your employer that they have no right to “insist” upon invasive medical screening as a condition of your employment and see how far they’re willing to take it?

Lucan Grey
4 years ago

School supplied test kits went in the recycling at the weekend.

All Made in China.

john ball
john ball
4 years ago

have not noticed the Childrens Commissioner saying anything against the efforts being made to vaccinate children

Peter Thompson
Peter Thompson
4 years ago

Things are not getting back to normal , actually those in charge of the asylum are just changing the decor. Before visiting a patient in a care home I now have a LFT which has a sensitivity at best of just over 50 % . The Americans have decided to throw away their LFT s as they are worse than useless.

If you call primary care 111 out of hours your chances of getting some attention are now minimal . Sorry not my fault. Loads of kids , much more than expected for this time of year have viral respiratory infection ( Not Covid but RSV or parainfluenza ). Very unusual . Lots of my colleagues despite boasting that they are ” double vaxxed ” are refusing to see these kids and sending them to A and E ( wait time 6 hours ).

It will get worse in the autumn .

bringbacksanity
bringbacksanity
4 years ago

So. I dare anyone to pop on the BBC news pages today and marvel in how they have two leading pictures of kids in class WEARING MASKS. I assume this is to soften up the masses ahead of a return to class in September with a brand new Helix stationary set + a mask. And maybe a vaccine. Oh yes. It’s all coming to an end on 19th July. Is it fuck !

realarthurdent
4 years ago

Beware the Telegraph campaign.

We know that they have received Gates funding. They have their “Global Health Security” team of journalists, beavering away at the propaganda mine, furthering the agenda of the globalists.

This “campaign” may be worthy in terms of stopping children being kept out of school. But at what cost? More testing and, inevitably, pressure to have TeH VacCine.

JOpenmind
JOpenmind
4 years ago

Why do we have to wait until September?

WE NEED THIS NOW!

Julian
4 years ago
Reply to  JOpenmind

I don’t think we need this now at all. It’s just replacing on form of pointless disruptive interference with another, arguably marginally less damaging.

It just perpetuates mass testing which has been the main mechanism used to control us through fear.

Moist Von Lipwig
4 years ago

In other words, Kim Jong Johnson is prolonging the torture as he pretends to be ending it.

Bella Donna
4 years ago

wantok87
4 years ago

The obsession with testing is a malignant thought process which pervades society. We have permitted Epidemiologists and Public Health Doctors to dictate health care which they do not understand. More importantly it should be shouted out that vaccination of children is immortal and unethical- Will any doctor or nurse who vaccinates a child who develops a complication or fatality associated with a vaccine ,face the parents and tell them it was a worthwhile risk ?

Spikedee1
Spikedee1
4 years ago

STOP FUCKING TESTING. Then it all disappears. You only need to test children WITH SYMPTOMS! everyone else just get on with your lives. How do you know if its a confirmed test? Oh by using a test that does not fucking work. This is purely bullshit to back up jabbing kids. FUCK OFF. If you tolerate this, your children will be next!!!

Poppy CH
Poppy CH
4 years ago

I don’t expect Wales to follow suit. The situation here is beyond insanity. My daughter is in a whole year group bubble of 300 children. 1 Positive and they are all sent home. 4 ten-day isolations in a 65 day period between 9th September – 9th December. In this time children cant even leave their house for a walk. We’ve just had another one that was extended to 14 days due to the delta variant! I challenged the fact with track and trace that she was not a close contact as no contact tracing in school had happened (the head had simply handed over a list of 300 children). I was told; My child needed to self isolate for 10 days or I would be prosecuted The last four days were advised but they could not enforce but I would be risking public health if I refused (the school would not allow pupils to return during these four days) My child needed to take a PCR test on days 3 and 8 but even if they were negative my child could not leave the house (I refused) I would be contacted by phone each day to ensure that my child… Read more »

iane
iane
4 years ago
Reply to  Poppy CH

I used to be rather fond of Welsh Rabbits: no more!