An Absurd Tradeoff

Adrian69702006

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From my blog today.

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner, has added her weight to a view current among some politicians, that public houses and eateries should be closed if need be as the price of getting all the nation’s children back to school in September.

We profess no great admiration for Ms Longfield, although we recognise that it is her job to whinge on behalf of children’s welfare and we cannot reproach her for doing that job, however she may choose to do it. That said, we think it is complete nonsense that pubs and eateries should be sacrificed in the cause of children returning to school. It is highly illogical because public houses and schools serve very different populations.

To date the available science appears to suggest that the risk of primary school pupils spreading Covid-19 is a low one and the risks associated with older, secondary age, children whilst probably greater, are really unknown. As things stand, we are aware of no known instances of pupil to teacher transmission anywhere in the world.

We have some sympathy with the view that children should return to school at some point in the autumn. However, we think the idea that it will be feasible for all children to make a full time return to school in early September, is at best a ministerial pipe dream. If the events of recent months have taught us anything, it is that thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Skype, a great deal of education – and work – can take place remotely. Just as we have discovered that adults can work with perfect efficiency without having to commute to offices, most children can receive some good education without going near a classroom. This is 2020, not 1850, and we should embrace the fact. Our view is that the nation’s children are amply capable of coping with a hybrid arrangement of some classroom time and some remote learning. Of course, we hear the enraged screams of those parents who rely on schools to provide free childcare. However, that is a subsidiary benefit of having children in school, and not its primary purpose which is to deliver education.

Should the hospitality industry be sacrificed in some sort of trade off though? We think not. All sectors were hit hard by the lockdown, but hospitality, which was already struggling, took a particularly hard hit. In fact, it has only had a month so far to get back on its feet and now finds itself swamped by an Orwellian plethora of rules and regulations which threaten the viability of many smaller business which, pre-Covid, already had limited seating capacity. Too many pubs and eateries closed in March, never to open again. We dare not contemplate how many more would be lost were they to be closed down again en masse.

It may be that some people, possibly including Ms Longfield, think that the hospitality industry is expendable. We beg to differ. Far more people live alone in this country than anyone will ever care to admit. For many people, especially those of a certain age, opportunities to meet friends for breakfast, coffee, lunch or a spot of afternoon tea are what keep them sane, centred and reasonably well. Schools will always be there whether they’re full, half full, or empty because depending on whether or not they’re academized, they receive funding either from central Government or from County Hall. However, the hospitality industry depends on punters coming through the door and spending money, something that can’t happen if it’s closed down. At least the Chancellor of the Exchequer is doing his bit to support hospitality during August through a generous discount scheme which applies on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Today this writer enjoyed an excellent Wetherspoons “Traditional Breakfast” with coffee for less than the price of that indispensable accompaniment to a leisurely breakfast, the Daily Telegraph.

Yes, schools should reopen in September to the extent that its reasonably practicable, but it should not be done at the expense of an industry which has suffered disproportionately since March. As the events of recent weeks have demonstrated, Covid-19 hasn't gone away, and isn't likely to do so anytime soon. Either we can close the country down again and suffer permanent ruin or we can learn to live with a level of risk and take action to flatten local spikes when they occur. We don't advocate the level of relaxation favoured by His Honour Jonathan Sumption, but we feel that an outbreak of common sense is what's badly needed.
 

keenobserver

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From my blog today.

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner, has added her weight to a view current among some politicians, that public houses and eateries should be closed if need be as the price of getting all the nation’s children back to school in September.

We profess no great admiration for Ms Longfield, although we recognise that it is her job to whinge on behalf of children’s welfare and we cannot reproach her for doing that job, however she may choose to do it. That said, we think it is complete nonsense that pubs and eateries should be sacrificed in the cause of children returning to school. It is highly illogical because public houses and schools serve very different populations.

To date the available science appears to suggest that the risk of primary school pupils spreading Covid-19 is a low one and the risks associated with older, secondary age, children whilst probably greater, are really unknown. As things stand, we are aware of no known instances of pupil to teacher transmission anywhere in the world.

We have some sympathy with the view that children should return to school at some point in the autumn. However, we think the idea that it will be feasible for all children to make a full time return to school in early September, is at best a ministerial pipe dream. If the events of recent months have taught us anything, it is that thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Skype, a great deal of education – and work – can take place remotely. Just as we have discovered that adults can work with perfect efficiency without having to commute to offices, most children can receive some good education without going near a classroom. This is 2020, not 1850, and we should embrace the fact. Our view is that the nation’s children are amply capable of coping with a hybrid arrangement of some classroom time and some remote learning. Of course, we hear the enraged screams of those parents who rely on schools to provide free childcare. However, that is a subsidiary benefit of having children in school, and not its primary purpose which is to deliver education.

Should the hospitality industry be sacrificed in some sort of trade off though? We think not. All sectors were hit hard by the lockdown, but hospitality, which was already struggling, took a particularly hard hit. In fact, it has only had a month so far to get back on its feet and now finds itself swamped by an Orwellian plethora of rules and regulations which threaten the viability of many smaller business which, pre-Covid, already had limited seating capacity. Too many pubs and eateries closed in March, never to open again. We dare not contemplate how many more would be lost were they to be closed down again en masse.

It may be that some people, possibly including Ms Longfield, think that the hospitality industry is expendable. We beg to differ. Far more people live alone in this country than anyone will ever care to admit. For many people, especially those of a certain age, opportunities to meet friends for breakfast, coffee, lunch or a spot of afternoon tea are what keep them sane, centred and reasonably well. Schools will always be there whether they’re full, half full, or empty because depending on whether or not they’re academized, they receive funding either from central Government or from County Hall. However, the hospitality industry depends on punters coming through the door and spending money, something that can’t happen if it’s closed down. At least the Chancellor of the Exchequer is doing his bit to support hospitality during August through a generous discount scheme which applies on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Today this writer enjoyed an excellent Wetherspoons “Traditional Breakfast” with coffee for less than the price of that indispensable accompaniment to a leisurely breakfast, the Daily Telegraph.

Yes, schools should reopen in September to the extent that its reasonably practicable, but it should not be done at the expense of an industry which has suffered disproportionately since March. As the events of recent weeks have demonstrated, Covid-19 hasn't gone away, and isn't likely to do so anytime soon. Either we can close the country down again and suffer permanent ruin or we can learn to live with a level of risk and take action to flatten local spikes when they occur. We don't advocate the level of relaxation favoured by His Honour Jonathan Sumption, but we feel that an outbreak of common sense is what's badly needed.

When you find common sense, please share it. So far, you have not shown any. You are in essence saying, kids who go to school do not ever come in contact with people who go to bars. Try again.
 
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Industrialsize

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From my blog today.

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner, has added her weight to a view current among some politicians, that public houses and eateries should be closed if need be as the price of getting all the nation’s children back to school in September.

We profess no great admiration for Ms Longfield, although we recognise that it is her job to whinge on behalf of children’s welfare and we cannot reproach her for doing that job, however she may choose to do it. That said, we think it is complete nonsense that pubs and eateries should be sacrificed in the cause of children returning to school. It is highly illogical because public houses and schools serve very different populations.

To date the available science appears to suggest that the risk of primary school pupils spreading Covid-19 is a low one and the risks associated with older, secondary age, children whilst probably greater, are really unknown. As things stand, we are aware of no known instances of pupil to teacher transmission anywhere in the world.

We have some sympathy with the view that children should return to school at some point in the autumn. However, we think the idea that it will be feasible for all children to make a full time return to school in early September, is at best a ministerial pipe dream. If the events of recent months have taught us anything, it is that thanks to platforms such as Zoom and Skype, a great deal of education – and work – can take place remotely. Just as we have discovered that adults can work with perfect efficiency without having to commute to offices, most children can receive some good education without going near a classroom. This is 2020, not 1850, and we should embrace the fact. Our view is that the nation’s children are amply capable of coping with a hybrid arrangement of some classroom time and some remote learning. Of course, we hear the enraged screams of those parents who rely on schools to provide free childcare. However, that is a subsidiary benefit of having children in school, and not its primary purpose which is to deliver education.

Should the hospitality industry be sacrificed in some sort of trade off though? We think not. All sectors were hit hard by the lockdown, but hospitality, which was already struggling, took a particularly hard hit. In fact, it has only had a month so far to get back on its feet and now finds itself swamped by an Orwellian plethora of rules and regulations which threaten the viability of many smaller business which, pre-Covid, already had limited seating capacity. Too many pubs and eateries closed in March, never to open again. We dare not contemplate how many more would be lost were they to be closed down again en masse.

It may be that some people, possibly including Ms Longfield, think that the hospitality industry is expendable. We beg to differ. Far more people live alone in this country than anyone will ever care to admit. For many people, especially those of a certain age, opportunities to meet friends for breakfast, coffee, lunch or a spot of afternoon tea are what keep them sane, centred and reasonably well. Schools will always be there whether they’re full, half full, or empty because depending on whether or not they’re academized, they receive funding either from central Government or from County Hall. However, the hospitality industry depends on punters coming through the door and spending money, something that can’t happen if it’s closed down. At least the Chancellor of the Exchequer is doing his bit to support hospitality during August through a generous discount scheme which applies on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Today this writer enjoyed an excellent Wetherspoons “Traditional Breakfast” with coffee for less than the price of that indispensable accompaniment to a leisurely breakfast, the Daily Telegraph.

Yes, schools should reopen in September to the extent that its reasonably practicable, but it should not be done at the expense of an industry which has suffered disproportionately since March. As the events of recent weeks have demonstrated, Covid-19 hasn't gone away, and isn't likely to do so anytime soon. Either we can close the country down again and suffer permanent ruin or we can learn to live with a level of risk and take action to flatten local spikes when they occur. We don't advocate the level of relaxation favoured by His Honour Jonathan Sumption, but we feel that an outbreak of common sense is what's badly needed.
You haven't addressed the science behind "Opening" back up. Not. one. word.
 
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