We gave Covid 19 the keys to our house 137 days ago, how are things going?

It is 08.00 am on Friday 15 January 2021, one hundred and thirty-seven days from the start of the 2020 – 2021 school year.

The boringly repetitive dismal things to report about schools in France

Back to looking at the fundamental issues facing all schools. The pandemic, and the new virus variants, continue to rage through the now standalone UK and many EU countries, including France. School closures have now been mandated in Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, the UK and Germany as a key element of their national lockdown programmes.

But not in France. OH NO, not France, although the French population, and French schools, are at no lesser risk from Covid 19 than other EU countries. Our foolhardy, dangerous, naïve French ‘men-in-charge’ continue to think, assume, refuse, whatever, to close the schools.  The non-decision makers are great at tinkering around the edges, great at protecting key economies, but absolutely lousy when it comes to the big health decisions needed to protect their citizens. Last week mum and dad said – ‘this is nuts!’. Following new comments on the school situation, reported in the papers this week such as:

• the government is still keen “to avoid a school lockdown at all costs”
•  “The health situation must be very bad before we can envisage closing schools”
• closing schools should be a “last resort”
• closing schools “would be an error”
• there will be “an increased surveillance in schools”, with more “testing operations”
• there will soon be “a million tests [available] in school settings”

…… mum and dad would love to use much harsher and cruder words to describe their feelings about their continued school filibustering (aka -we are keeping the schools opening and we will be doing a lot more testing). They leave the rhetoric to the reader’s imagination.

So, schools remain an obvious universal vector for Covid 19 transmission. The pupils, their parents, their siblings, the staff, all of them, have been forcibly recruited as potential frontline viral carriers, meeting daily to exchange the latest viral loads, and returning at sunset to their communities, their homes and their loved ones.

Our blog is cathartic, and really helps us cope, but how long is it going to be repetitively depressing?

The 2020 switch to 2021 was great for learning the lessons of how to survive through a gruelling, physically exhausting, mentally exhausting, shitty year and to plan for better in this new year. But the lessons have also reinforced that we are all about to pay another ridiculously unnecessary and even more exorbitant price for more of the same this year …. all thanks to the very damaging confusing advice and the dangerous mistakes of the ‘men-in-charge’, AND the dangerous mistakes of the many citizens determined to ignore the obvious precautions. We all know that the ‘men-in-charge’ are hanging on desperately for vaccination to save their reputations and to save the day for their citizens. Programmes are sprouting up overnight … pity they didn’t use the same speed to stop Covid 19 dead in its tracks. Mum and dad have been forced to take further stock of what to do about the school debacle. We are staying positive, and working out how to get even more benefit out of writing up a repetitively depressing blog.

By John Saunders

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World Health Communication Associates (WHCA) & INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,
MediaWise and MediaFocusUK

Strengthening connections
while keeping distance

News You Can Use

We are all vulnerable to this virus. This is a unique time for our communities all over the world as we work to combat this massive global threat. This blog aims to collect and share your stories and reflections that can help others to cope, thrive and build resilience…

Our communities are at different stages of response in different parts of the world. We can learn a lot from each other. Building on World Health Organization and other evidence-based guidance, this blog will gather and disseminate stories that inform, inspire and hopefully strengthen social connectiveness while we all practice physical distancing.

We invite you to contribute. At present we are looking for stories in the following areas:

May the force be with all of us.

Sabrina, Mike, Steve, Tuuli and Franklin for the Connecting Communities team

BLOG: https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/coronavirus-connecting-communities
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Disclaimer – We try to include stories that respect World Health Organisation COVID19 guidance. Links take you to full published stories. Our Connecting Communities team screens and selects stories but can not guarantee accuracy of reporting and mentions of any products does not indicate endorsement.

While we grieve for the tremendous loss of lives in so many countries, we can see and feel that the need to connect communities and share learning grows everyday. Please attach your comments and stories to this blog or send them to cccov19@gmail.com or attach them to this blog. We welcome stories in all languages and from all countries. Here are some first examples of stories and links. Send us yours and make this blog useful.