Q Should schools be shut as a pneumonia precaution?
I am frankly surprised there needs to be a debate about this at all and am frustrated that the Education Department has not already made the decision to close all schools.
Every day I weigh up the options between my children getting infected or falling behind with their schoolwork.
Obviously, people cannot be expected to isolate themselves completely, but given what we know to date about this virus infecting clusters of people in close proximity with each other, it is without doubt that the educational environment - be it a classroom, a school bus, or a playground - is highly conducive to this virus being passed from one infected child to everyone else that the child interacts with.
The repercussions of this do not even bear thinking about. Given that at least 20 to 30 people a day are being infected, how much longer is it going to be before hospital resources and facilities are stretched to their limits and everyday life disrupted even further, if only by stress and anxiety?
I am amazed that the Education Department is prepared to bear the responsibility of not only placing the lives of our children under threat, but also the welfare of society as a whole.