Look, these are crazy times we're living in. At this point I'd consider Iceland. Maybe.
My work colleague had fever and shortness of breath and hasn't worked in two weeks. He couldn't get tested though. Was asked if he has travelled and because not they wouldn't test him.
I'll be in Howard's shelter, and this lady will be the Iceland delivery driver and I still won't let her in.
Nipped out for some bread because I haven't been stockpiling; none in two branches of Asda and Sainsbury's (and missing a ton of other stuff too), nipped in to Lidl on the off chance, bread everywhere. Nice, well done Lidl.
My Mum said Aldi and Lidl seem to be keeping on top of stock it's just pandemonium in there. Not that Sainsbury's was any more orderly.
I went to Aldi nearly two weeks ago and there was no toilet roll even then. Got veg but it's gonna get grim in a few weeks.
Schools will close within a couple of days. We've had information from senior officials in London. Staff meetings cancelled and packs are being prepared for kids.
I live near a Food Warehouse - essentially what happens if an Iceland has a drunken one night stand with the food section of Costco - and it's been one of the better places to go for supplies.
All schools, London only or an Academy group? Asking for a friend.
The information I've heard is that it'll be all schools and that some in senior positions are accepting that we won't even be back for the first week after Easter.
Everything should close on Sundays for that old fashioned feeling.
Called that weeks ago, as it is a easy win for the GOV, extending a holiday is far easier, now I hope if the virus has passed they reduce the summer holidays by two weeks, but I expect the schools union will be all over that like a rash in opposition
The end times are truly upon us when I resort to feeding my family on food replacement powder. It's actually quite pricey too, £24 a day for a family of 4.
They won't shorten any holidays. School unions wouldn't necessarily be against it, but there would be lots of legal challenges. We sat down as a staff and worked out whether we'd have enough staff to legally stay open at any point during the holidays and it was a resounding no.
Hells yeah - I didn't become a teacher to not get 7 weeks off in the summer!
My brother is at Warwick in his final year and was told that the final exams are cancelled. Zero alternative offered. He's in limbo.
Is this in prep for a lockdown?
bath but they're all likely to follow. They said yesterday that they'd close until Easter. Today changed to end of year
Wtf - so maybe exams when things clear up - but then they'll have been off the boil for weeks/months. What a mare. My son is only in first year but a heck of a way to have your first year at uni - two strikes and now this
A lot of teachers are being told they'll be expected to work through the school closures, providing remote teaching and the suchlike. Support staff won't necessarily be getting time off either. Just shortening holidays wouldn't be very palatable. Not to mention the families with holidays booked in advance.
I'd imagine so, yes. Once schools close, most people will have to be at home.
LA and New York shutting down puts increasing pressure on the government to act considering we have
Why they aren't grilled on their contradictory message on this is beyond me. They could literally announce a lockdown, but insist schools will remain open, and there'd barely be a question from the press about it.
Why they aren't grilled on their contradictory message on this is beyond me. They could literally announce a lockdown, but insist schools will remain open, and there'd barely be a question from the press about it.
Someone who is high up in Education within London. Someone who talks to the DFE daily. I can't go into too much detail on the source, so do with the info as you wish. I myself have been in meetings about this most of the day.
I got half way on the school run this morning before turning back because my eldest's secondary school are having to alternate entire year groups to not come in due to staffing shortages. Was the Year 9's today, it's the Y10's tomorrow. My youngest's primary school class had 8/23 kids in attendance today. That's in Sheffield.
I've absolutely no doubt they'll close by Friday. Maybe Monday at the latest to get the word fully out over the weekend.
It feels inevitable, really. Parents are already taking their kids out of school, a lot of pupils are off for self-isolation and once a certain number of the teachers start having to self-isolate then they simply can't continue. A couple of high schools nearby have been telling kids to come in on alternate days this week as there aren't enough staff to teach the full school simultaneously.
Oh that's fine then. We only have like 5k in savings anyway but to me that's more than we could lose. Glad to hear that's well within coverage though
We've had a few officials, including Nicola Sturgeon, say any closure would last months. Personally I find that unrealistic, but it does raise a question as to whether school closures would coincide with a lockdown or not.
Hearing the same from a relative in education here. Staff are being prepped to WFH in some roles, and daily conversations going on with SQA about exams etc., and some schools she's in contact with already pulling S1/S2 pupils out.
Our primary is already running with class sizes half or less than half, and I think the swell of parents simply pulling their kids out is going to be helping force matters.
Will salary of public sector workers i.e. teachers be impacted if schools are closed for a prolonged period? (not talking about temporary/agency workers).
Do you work on Thameslink by any chance? I'm taking it tomorrow and nervous about the amount of people.
Just get the feeling that lockdown is coming... Schools closing etc .... Maybe announced on Friday?
Welp, any paid English Heritage sites are closed until the first of May. However, for the time being (that is, until the 20th of this month because this is a pretty day by day situation now), staff are still gonna go in because of maintenance and such, but it may be we shift to either staying at home or skeleton crews. Don't exactly need staff for buses if no-one's getting on.
I think I have it....sudden developed cough (it has started hurting my lungs too) and I am slowly building a temperature. It ain't a cold because every cold I've ever had the symptoms start in my upper nose....I didn't even have time to panic buy 😔
Trouble is I cant even get tested!!
Trouble is I cant even get tested!!
I think that if schools do close (which is looking a near certainty) then they will definitely be closed for the foreseeable future - probably right up until the start of the next academic year. This situation isn't going away any time soon: I very much doubt that if they need to close schools in mid-March then they'll be reopening them after the Easter holidays.
Trains into central London have definitely been more empty this week.
TFL have even said the tubes will run on a Saturday service as less people are traveling.
No I work for Northern Trains, I reckon our numbers are down at least 60%. This is a busy Manchester commuter line, but I reckon it's similar down south.
