It feels like almost everything is grinding to a halt in an attempt to flatten the curve and stop the rapid spread of coronavirus. Scott Morrison gave a press conference this morning (where he didn’t seem super well himself, although he says he’s been strictly following medical advise, but anyway) where he announced that Australians should not travel overseas under any circumstances, and that schools would be staying open for time being.
It was the second part that raised eyebrows. There’s no way in hell that social distancing can be put into place at a school where 30 kids are crammed into a classroom, so why keep the schools open?
The idea is that kids are less affected by the virus. From what we know of it so far, it’s particularly deadly to the elderly and people with pre-existing conditions, but kids tend to get out of it without too much harm done.
That’s all well and good if you’re a kid, but people have been wondering about what happens to the teachers? Just because kids aren’t affected as badly doesn’t mean they don’t carry it.
So far, the advise from experts is that continuing to make sure you’re practicing social distancing is the best bet. If a teacher picks it up from a student without knowing, they can avoid spreading it by following the instructions we’ve all been hearing – stay a metre and a half away from others, wash your hands, etc.
In saying that, President of The Australian Primary Principals Association, Malcolm Elliott, has said that school leaders who are more at risk “need other people to replace them in their schools.”
If schools were closed tomorrow, there would be an increase of kids in shopping centres, at parks, and out with their parents in public. There really is no ideal solution in this scenario, so for now the schools stay open.
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