Top virologist warns school reopening must not be a political decision

[webfact]

Top virologist warns school reopening must not be a political decision

 

File photo

 

The right timing for the opening of the first school semester of this year should not be a political decision, but should be based on scientific reasoning, with the physical and mental health of the students being taken into consideration, said Thailand’s leading virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan.

 

The chief of the virology centre, in the Pediatrics Department at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University, said in his Facebook post today that children, like adults, are at risk of contracting COVID-19 and, although they normally exhibit minor symptoms, they can spread the disease to the other people, especially to other family members.

 

While admitting that learning is important for the children, he said that the key is to work out the right balance between the safety of children and the timing for the reopening of schools.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-top-virologist-warns-school-reopening-must-not-be-a-political-decision/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-05-19

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[Hayduke]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The right timing for the opening of the first school semester of this year should not be a political decision, but should be based on scientific reasoning,

 

Scientific reasoning? Like that's really going to happen....

 

 

[geistfunke]

Certainly, children have been able to transmit diseases within their families for thousands of years. So it's best if we all stop having children?
This world belongs to our children. If I am allowed to die and my four children are allowed to live in freedom, without a health dictatorship, without masks, without "social distancing" and without any controls, then I will gladly die for them. As a father, I am willing to take this "risk" for the freedom of our kids.  

[DrTuner]

All the re-openings are political decisions. They can't get the test & trace network working so what is left is pure politics. Might as well blast it all open and get free amulets for people.

Edited May 19, 2020 by DrTuner

[BobbyL]

If this is the case then they might as well close schools indefinitely until there is a vaccine (there may never be one). 

 

At some point there has to be a decision that enough is enough and for the sanity of everyone around the world we get back to normal. As has been said many times, the death rate of this virus is minuscule. 

[DrTuner]

14 minutes ago, geistfunke said:

 If I am allowed to die and my four children are allowed to live in freedom, without a health dictatorship, without masks, without "social distancing" and without any controls, then I will gladly die for them. As a father, I am willing to take this "risk" for the freedom of our kids.  

That chance went past in 2014.

[Brunolem]

Either Thailand has zero new case, daily, for more than a week, and so everything should reopen, starting with the schools,

 

or...the government doesn't trust its numbers, which is problematic...

 

Developed countries around the world (USA, Italy, Spain, France...), are reopening at a much faster pace than Thailand, despite having far worse covid 19 numbers.

 

In these countries, children are slowly going back to school...they are not waiting until July!

 

Thai children are going to pay for their government's pussyfooting around...they are going to have a terrible school year, with no mid-year holidays, a year that will stretch well into the usual March-April summer holidays, before starting for another school year...totally irresponsible!

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Brunolem

[natway09]

I am still not sure that testing is going to achieve anything until they find one that is at least 99% correct & results in 15 minutes.

All the testing in the UK & US has amounted to absolutely  nothing of significance

[geistfunke]

25 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

That chance went past in 2014.

I do not mean the testimony of Dr. Yong Poovorawan in Thailand. That doctor didn't express an opinion of his own. He only says what has to be said in almost all countries of the world according to WHO guidelines. The official texts I read today about opening schools in Germany are completely identical. Unfortunately one does not hear any other opinions in public.

[sapson]

If they are practising social distancing how will it work with 30 to 40 kids crammed into tiny classrooms and often a couple of thousand together at assembly ? and packed together in the back of pickups travelling to and from school.

 

The whole culture of school life is about togetherness not distancing.

 

Being a teacher in this environment would concern me, especially in the provinces knowing that their is no widespread or routine covid testing happening.

 

Maybe their are a whole set of well thought out plans for the July opening.

[Brunolem]

10 minutes ago, sapson said:

If they are practising social distancing how will it work with 30 to 40 kids crammed into tiny classrooms .

In France they have limited to 12 the number of children per classroom, where attendance is not mandatory.

 

It is not clear where this is supposed to lead...

 

I also read that in California a number of universities don't want to have any more students on campus, even for next year ...they want to do it all online!

 

All this will only accelerate our transition to a new Middle Age, already well under way before the Covid 19 mania.

 

 

 

[RubbaJohnny]

This is developing online learning, which is inevitable regardless of Covid

However for thse in a shack with perhaps only a cheap mobile phone and parents who unable to help the poorer families and hill tribes will miss out.

 

However almost every Thai home I have ever visited even without a car or washing nachine has a TV

 

Surely it must be possible to broadcast materail , one channel per age group say from 9-12 am , there are plenty of examples worldwide?

[cardinalblue]

Why so delayed in thai school opening? 
 

is it b/c not having the resources to handle needed testing and tracing?

[mrfill]

2 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

Scientific reasoning? Like that's really going to happen....

 

 

In the UK the science seems to be based around money. All the expensive private schools have said they will not be returning until at least September. The state schools are being told to open up early June with no masks for children and no PPE for teachers. The BMA have advised against opening early but the government have found a scientist (doctor in economics possibly) who says it causes harm to children if they are kept away (notwithstanding that private schools do not think this way, although they will not be refunding school fees while closed as most have said 'they must charge normal summer fees in order to pay their costs'). Universities will not be returning before September either.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Top virologist warns school reopening must not be a political decision

But the government make the decisions... 

[DJ54]

17 hours ago, RubbaJohnny said:

perhaps only a cheap mobile phone and parents who unable to help

Niece and Nephews in-laws 14,11,8 all have smart phones. If they break it they get sent another one by the part time parents... in two years parents have been here maybe two weeks in total.....

 

i don’t quite understand...... but they do call everyday...

[Krataiboy]

21 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

Scientific reasoning? Like that's really going to happen....

 

 

If he knew anything about the science, he would be aware that (a) the vast majority of infected children suffer only mild or no symptoms and (b) are not believed to pass on the virus to adults.

[UbonEagle]

No real opinion personally on which strategy is better, but Australia (with extremely low community rates) is pushing ahead with school reopening as soon as next week. Main reasoning has been kids seem to be less prone to contracting and suffering severe symptoms, and also the need to free up parents to be able to return to work.

[BobbyL]

We were told today (along with some people I know in other international schools in Bangkok) that students will 'very likely' be returning on June 1st for the final 3/4 weeks of the school year. Parents were emailed today to share their views on it. 

 

We got no information regarding what that will actually look like in terms of social distancing, numbers allowed in each classroom etc. Our average class size is around 16 so I guess that number could be manageable with all students wearing masks, regular hand sanitising, no break time or lunch times outside etc.