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It's baffling to me that there has ever been much of a question over whether kids can get and spread the virus to begin with. Many people seem to have taken th
by brandon272 6y ago
It's baffling to me that there has ever been much of a question over whether kids can get and spread the virus to begin with.
Many people seem to have taken the "kids are less impacted when infected" and converted it to a "kids can't get infected" or "kids don't spread the virus" conclusion.
The provincial government where I live was recently excoriated for coming up with one of the weakest back-to-school plans in the country, which effectively suggested the status quo with next to no supports or funding for schools to deal with COVID-19 unless and until outbreaks start occurring.
From what I can tell based on the policy and subsequent public statements made by the officials, they seemed to have been operating under the assumption that kids can't be infected or are less likely to be infected with COVID-19.
The lack of critical thinking on display when it comes to this virus, especially by policymakers, is one of the most disturbing facets of this pandemic. I really get the impression that many are not putting in an effort to maintain even a baseline level of up to date knowledge on this evolving situation. It's distressing when you see people espousing opinion based on outdated information from 4 months ago.
- EliRivers 6y agoWas there really a question? Or did our policymakers start from the required conclusion - the peasantry go back to work - and from there infer backwards to "their children need to go back to school so that said peasantry can go back to work"? With that kind of thinking, I can understand that they don't actually have any idea about the transmission of Covid amongst children; they don't need that information as it has little bearing on the required conclusion. I have presented something of a leading question. I know what I think the answer is.
- blub 6y agoI don't think it's just the government, at least based on what I see in e.g. Germany. Society has decided that kids have to go back to school because anything else is just too inconvenient. The lame excuses about lower transmission rates and the risk of developmental impairment are conveniently put forward to justify the decision.
- jshaqaw 6y agoFrom what I see in my own children, depression and developmental impairment are not fabricated risks. I’m not saying they outweigh greater public health concerns regarding the spread of the disease but the worries I have for my kids if the next school year is entirely remote go entirely beyond personal inconvenience. There are sadly no perfect solutions here.