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3 minutes ago, Raikielia said:

a lot of people seem to have zero interest in actually taking care of and teaching their kids

Well, for many people it's a choice of either feeding and housing or teaching their kids (aka work their job or do homeschooling). And the feeding usually wins.

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One really big issue is the question whether there are real long-term issues with SARS-CoV-2.

 

Remember the case of the measles long-term complication Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) which only becomes apparent about 6-15 years after an infection with measles that appears to have completely healed? The virus seems to "sleep" in neural and glial cells and only shows up much later in this 100% lethal disease.

 

As SARS-CoV-2 is shown to affect the brain (hence the loss of taste/smell in some patients), who can tell whether it can't become active a while later again and then wreak real havoc?

 

Frankly, I prefer to err on the side of caution there.

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1 hour ago, Astreya said:

One really big issue is the question whether there are real long-term issues with SARS-CoV-2.

 

Remember the case of the measles long-term complication Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) which only becomes apparent about 6-15 years after an infection with measles that appears to have completely healed? The virus seems to "sleep" in neural and glial cells and only shows up much later in this 100% lethal disease.

 

As SARS-CoV-2 is shown to affect the brain (hence the loss of taste/smell in some patients), who can tell whether it can't become active a while later again and then wreak real havoc?

 

Frankly, I prefer to err on the side of caution there.

Actually, the letality is "only" in the (upper?) 90s, not full 100%. But the few survivors are pretty much being turned into vegetables.

Edited by olympe

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@olympe

Well, let's say I wouldn't want to get SSPE nor would I want anyone else to get it. ^^

 

As for something a bit lighter...

Quote

Coronavirus restrictions in South Africa are posing an existential problem for one of the country’s youngest Christian sects, with a ban on drinking effectively banning their idiosyncratic ceremony for communion.

 

When the country began easing its coronavirus lockdown in May, it allowed religious worshippers to gather in groups of up to 50, but maintained a ban on people assembling to drink alcohol, Reuters reports.

 

That’s a problem for the “Gabola” church — the name means ‘drinking’ in the local Tswana language — for whom a tipple is an integral part of their religious worship.

 

Founded just two years ago, the church tried to hold its usual meetings in local bars, called shebeens, to praise God while downing whisky, but they soon got arrested, said its leader and self-styled pope, Tsietsi Makiti, 55.

 

“They can arrest us until Jesus comes back,” said Makiti, wearing a bishop’s mitre with a miniature bottle of spirits hanging off it. But he added they had nevertheless been moving services from place to place to avoid a run-in with the authorities.

 

On Sunday worshippers met in a rubbish-strewn field in Evaton, south of Johannesburg. As the service started, clergy blessed beer bottles in prayer. “At Gabola church you (bring)... the liquor of your choice... and the pastor will bless the liquor so that it will not be poisonous to your body,” Makiti said.

 

Wearing flowing black robes and coloured scarves, Makiti and five clergymen sat before a table strewn with empty bottles of alcohol.

 

Makiti’s sermon included such proclamations as: “We are a church that will remake the world.”

 

“People call me a drunkard,” said one worshipper, Nthabiseng Kotope, 38, who said she joined the church in March. “I agree with them. I do God’s work while drinking.”

 

Apart from the ban on alcohol, the congregants observe all other coronavirus rules, including the limit of 50 people, the spacing out of chairs and use of hand sanitisers.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/jul/03/coronavirus-live-news-cases-rising-us-states-update-brazil-covid-19-infections-latest-updates?page=with:block-5eff4d918f0804b96dd6defd#block-5eff4d918f0804b96dd6defd

 

Edited by Astreya

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Forcing online education is setting most kids up for failure, and at the very least falling behind too much. There's too many and too severe issues with it. I get it, covid can be dangerous, but there's a line that absolutely shouldn't be crossed when it comes to disrupting daily life. Education is one of those things beyond that line. It sucks, it's not ideal, but kids need to physically be in school. There's too much at stake, especially for younger kids who are still developing social skills. There's certainly good ways to alter school so that you can minimize risk without going online, too. But the risks of online education vastly outweigh the risks of covid. Of course, some kids do have health issues, in which case an online option is always a good idea. Emphasis on it being optional, not compulsory.

 

And I'm not just saying that as an off-the-top-of-my-head opinion (though I did quickly write that up since I'm tired - sorry for any errors or anything unclear!). I plan on becoming a college professor, and education is something I take very, very seriously. I've thought a lot about the relationship between covid and education.

Edited by KrazyKarp

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@KrazyKarp

What is crossing the line is putting kids lives at risk just for education's sake, education comes secondary to their physical well being. And given how often kids are bullied at school I'm sure some are relieved not to have to endure that at school. Socializing just sounds like a lame excuse to put kids at risk. And anyone who thinks differently needs to reexamine their priorities. Education can be made up but their lives can not be brought back if they die.

 

There is no excuse good enough to justify putting kids in danger for any reason whatsoever!!!

Edited by AngelsSin

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@AngelsSin

I get where you are coming from. Lives are really important and irreplaceable. However, I think the lack of being able to attend school is hitting kids from poorer families worse than anything. I've talked to a local teacher from the city schools and hearing her talk about her students falling behind breaks my heart. These are kids from families with multiple kids and only one computer to share between them all for online classes. They just don't have the resources to learn at home. Covid19's putting kids from low income families in an even greater disadvantage long term. They're the ones who need a solid education the most for a good future.

 

I agree we can't bring kids back to school like how it use to be, however online only isn't going to cut it. I really wish the U.S. would pay attention to what some other more successful countries are doing in their education systems to combat the pandemic.

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7 hours ago, AngelsSin said:

@KrazyKarp

What is crossing the line is putting kids lives at risk just for education's sake, education comes secondary to their physical well being. And given how often kids are bullied at school I'm sure some are relieved not to have to endure that at school. Socializing just sounds like a lame excuse to put kids at risk. And anyone who thinks differently needs to reexamine their priorities. Education can be made up but their lives can not be brought back if they die.

 

There is no excuse good enough to justify putting kids in danger for any reason whatsoever!!!

 

Kids are being put at danger of permanently damaged mental health. My grandson is one such - he has problems and was doing wonderfully well - now he has regressed very badly. And there were horror stores in the press here - the DECENT press - of children of elementary school age who were able to visit their grandparents for the first time since lockdown - and they were running away from them terrified (and this was WITH distancing still in place.) Playgrounds re-opening - and children wouldn't LOOK at each other. There is more to life than physical health. Children are less at risk than adults as it really doesn't seem to affect the enormous majority of them as badly as it does grownups. If I had school age children I'd want them back in there. I am a trained teacher and so is my partner - we could do the home education easily enough - but we couldn't keep them psychologically healthy. We are about to have a huge mental health problem with a whole generation of badly damaged young people. And there are no decent MH services for youngsters as it is.

Edited by Fuzzbucket

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Considering the case of the company MAN Energy Solutions SE (which is located right in my vicinity) where one worker was tested positive for Covid-19 on June 30, we were lucky after all. By now 138 workers of the company got tested and 137 of the tests were confirmed negative for Covid-19. One test seems to have been inconclusive so far, and it appears they have to do some more lab work on it.

 

-----------------------------

Daily update for Oberhausen, NRW, Germany:

 

As of today, Saturday, July 4, 10:00 GMT+2,  my home town (population 211 000) has 22 active cases, while 269 people have recovered. All in all there have been 302 people who suffered from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of newly infected people per 100 000 citizens in the last 7 days is 2.8.

 

Currently 4 persons are treated in hospitals, none of them in intensive care. 11 persons sadly died. 72 persons are currently quarantined. All in all there have been 14 292 Covid-19 tests in Oberhausen up to Friday, July 3.

 

Source: https://www.oberhausen.de/de/index/rathaus/verwaltung/umwelt-gesundheit-und-mobilitat/gesundheit/aktuelle_informationen/informationen_zum_coronavirus/aktuelle_meldungen.php

 

Edited by Astreya

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8 hours ago, KrazyKarp said:

Forcing online education is setting most kids up for failure, and at the very least falling behind too much. There's too many and too severe issues with it. I get it, covid can be dangerous, but there's a line that absolutely shouldn't be crossed when it comes to disrupting daily life. Education is one of those things beyond that line. It sucks, it's not ideal, but kids need to physically be in school. There's too much at stake, especially for younger kids who are still developing social skills. There's certainly good ways to alter school so that you can minimize risk without going online, too. But the risks of online education vastly outweigh the risks of covid. Of course, some kids do have health issues, in which case an online option is always a good idea. Emphasis on it being optional, not compulsory.

 

And I'm not just saying that as an off-the-top-of-my-head opinion (though I did quickly write that up since I'm tired - sorry for any errors or anything unclear!). I plan on becoming a college professor, and education is something I take very, very seriously. I've thought a lot about the relationship between covid and education.

After the summer break, my daughter will be in her last year of school before graduation. The last semester was mostly online education (like 90% or more), and I'm not sure it worked at all. That being said, I'd rather have my daughter do an extra year in school than catch Covid (again?). Her pneumonia in December was horrid, and I don't want to see it happening again. It's better to lose one year than to lose your whole life. Or your parents' lives. Or those of your grandparents.

 

Because, let's face it, most children and even teens don't show symptoms when carrying the virus.Which makes them spread it like ninjas. Undetected, practically invisible carriers. To me, this sounds like a recipe for disaster. Education isn't worth dying for. It's not worth killing for, either.

 

And I'd much rather teach social skills myself (and maybe with a couple of other families I'm close to) than send my child to school with hundreds of other kids close by, not wearing masks, not keeping distance. Social skils are one thing, the measures to get through the pandemic unscathed might be another necessary skill set for now and even the future.

 

Which leads me to another issue. I don't think social distancing is going to work forever. Most people absolutely need some social contacts. The best thing we can do is create small "social bubbles" with as little overlap with others as possible. So, if a family with kids keeps in contact with one or two other neighboring families, that's their "social bubble". And should overlap as little as possible with other social bubbles. (And, no, meeting with all of your extended family including all 2nd and 3rd cousins, as well as half your neighborhood and their respective families/clans over a national holiday is not the definition of creating a small social bubble.)

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The school thing is a problem and I don't know what the solution is. Online learning is not working for a lot of kids, especially those from low-income families, single-parent families, addicted-parent families, etc. Not all parents have the motivation or the ability to help their children with online learning -- even if they do have internet access, which many do not. And many schools, especially in poorer districts, have not really provided adequate online education, either. Kids who are most disadvantaged to start with are falling even farther behind which puts a huge cloud over their future! Education is really their only hope and they are being denied that.

 

With most day care also closed working parents have a real dilemma. My son is fortunate enough to be able to work from home, but working from home is hard with an 8-year-old child also at home. She needed help with her online school work, which he wasn't always able to provide. He ended up going in to the office the two days that my daughter-in-law was home to make up hours that he lost due to child care and home-schooling. And she ended up spending most of her days off home-schooling.

 

They have worked out a sort of "bubble" with another family for day care during the summer, but that will change again in the fall.

 

Still, you have the risk of sending them back to school, no matter how much you modify that environment. And big unknowns about this virus. Kids are dying from it, although not in the numbers that adults are. And it is really impossible to have kids of any age observe all the precautions that are necessary to prevent the spread when they are in a group environment.

 

As I said, I don't know what the solution is. It is one of those situations where you are darned if you do and darned if you don't. :(

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Sorry - but the mental health issue among children that is growing exponentially is far more worrying than the risk of infection.

Edited by Fuzzbucket

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I actually kicked my 16yo DD out of the house about a month/month and a half ago-to go on a walk with *one* friend (with his guardians permission) for a day-obviously w/mask and social distance-she needed too, she was starting to spiral.

 

 

She had also commented some time before that she was more of a people person than she'd thought.

Edited by prpldrgnfr

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I will never agree that education or socializing needs out way the need for those kids to breathe air into their lungs or keep their hearts beating.

Frankly it sounds irrational to me. I have yet to hear a concrete plan on how they are going to keep those kids safe in these settings. And would love to hear any such plan.

All you have to do is see what is happening with daycares to know that nothing they come up with will ever work.

 

I am not ignorant or unsympathetic to the needs of those who need special attention but these kids you are talking about are the ones who will be most at risk for covid fatalities.  Those with special needs or are from poor neighborhoods are those Most at risk. 

 

And there are more ways to socialize than to be in someone's physical presence. But saying that being in school is more important than preventing them from possibly dying is apples to oranges they don't even come close to comparing IMO. 

 

And I'm sure people are gonna push ahead with putting kids in school and Mark my words it's gonna bite everyone in their butts.

Not just for the safety of their kids but it's gonna keep COVID spreading around and around and with cases spiking here that is a recipe for disaster. It puts their parents at risk and grandparents and many others. We will never get a handle on this pandemic if we can't stop the spread and as many of you have said kids are known spreaders of this disease.

 

As I said before you can catch a kid up to speed on education but that won't work if they are no longer alive!  I hope most parents are smart enough to keep their kids out of school till this is over. There is no reason good enough to risk kids dying none at all. 

There is no perfect solution but putting the lives of kids at risk of dying is not the answer to anything. Like I said I would love to hear from anyone a concrete plan to keep them safe, I have not even heard a plan at all for this let alone a good one.  By All means attempt to change my mind about this. Give me your answers on what to do about this. Give me a good rational plan on keeping them safe, one I can't poke holes in. Don't just spout about education and social needs without giving more than an empty argument.  Empty of solutions. Empty of a plan. I get those things are majorly important but living staying alive is much, much more important IMO. I'm sorry but to me it doesn't even remotely rise to the same level.

 

All I hear is a push to put them back in school and reducing the numbers but not how much of a reduction or any of the precautions that would be in place. I am sorry kids are struggling with education and the need to be around others but that IMO is not a good enough excuse to put their lives at risk. It to me is immoral and unethical. You can't raise the dead but you can fix/work on the other issues after this is over.

 

America is not like other countries most of those poor kids don't get regular or even any medical treatment and are disproportionately from black communities which have been shown to be at higher risk. I don't see how this works out at all. I get parents are struggling to care for their kids as they are used to having there kids at school but this is a pandemic sacrifices have to be made just not sacrificing kids. It is wrong on every level. I don't understand how anyone can rationalize that at all and I never will and I never want to understand that mind frame.

 

Time will tell if I'm wrong or not but I have zero doubts time will prove me right.

 

Kids think they are invincible and are more inclined to take risks It is up to the adults to ensure they don't take those risks at this time but many adults are being IMO irrational about this. For older kids depending on the kids you can allow some socializing with safety measure but I still remember the risks I took at that age and I was mostly good about not taking risks I know many others that took way more risks than me and I never had to face a pandemic at that age.

 

How do you figure out who might have a undiagnosed medical condition? How do you keep the younger kids to wear their masks not touch their face or pick their nose, etc? How do you keep the air conditioning from circulating COVID to everyone in that room? How do you keep them safe at lunch time we they need to take those masks off to eat? How do you keep them from spreading it as they talk as kids aren't known for keeping their volume down or yelling at lunch time? Which we know increases the spread of these germs. By all means someone give me any rational answers to just a few of my questions! I have many more than those I just listed but those are the biggest ones. If you can't come up with an answer then that should tell you more than anything that this is the wrong thing to do at this time. I mention again look what is going on with daycares and it should give you the answer to if this is safe or even remotely possible. Kids as well as teachers staff,etc are all getting sick in mass numbers. Many have to shut down cause of the outbreaks. You really think schools are gonna do better? I don't. 

 

Frankly I gave myself a better education outside of school than I ever got at most of the schools I went to. Too many teachers for the older kids tell their students if they have a question to ask the student next to them to not bother them during class. I don't see a point in putting kids at risk for a teacher who doesn't really teach just so those teachers can get a paycheck.

 

This also comes at a time when many states here are spiking and my state hit a new record of 11,458 new cases. Please tell me what you would do to make them safe give me your ideas cause I don't see a path to what you are talking about.

Edited by AngelsSin

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@AngelsSin

On thinking about the issue, it occurred to me that unfortunately the mental health thing can be deadly, too. There is the very real possibility that some kids might commit suicide if they are so locked up, thus the argument that forcing them to stay inside indefinitely keeps them alive doesn't fully hold up.

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Don't get me wrong - I don't give a flying you know what about their education. I care desperately about their mental health. That isn't as easy to regain as you might think.

ninjaed. Thanks Astreya. That is already a very real risk. I am aware of several attempts among teenagers who are at the end of their tethers.

Edited by Fuzzbucket

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I said in my post there is no perfect solution. That issue doesn't change my mind at all.

I still stand by everything I said and I know about the mental health aspect as I struggled with it for a very long time myself from a very young age that doesn't happen over night neither does becoming suicidal and even after becoming suicidal it takes time to progress to the point of acting on it and help can be gotten online for those suffering from that, something that wasn't possible when I was young. I was depressed and became suicidal and suffered from that for several decades. It takes time to get to the stage of acting on those feelings and a year isn't gonna do that in the majority of cases. The percentage is very small for those to act on it in such a short time frame and others likely just weren't made aware of the issues were going on long before they were made aware of it.I

I am well aware of the struggle to regain mental health. Doesn't change my mind one bit. As someone who went through it I have that perspective on how it progresses and how hard it is to get back to normal.

Edited by AngelsSin

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@AngelsSin

For me it's not a matter of 'X' is important and 'Y' isn't. Health, safety, education, socialization, mental and emotional well-being is all important in this issue. Just because you don't see the value in one of those things doesn't mean others don't need it. It's important that we find ways to balance all those through adapting to the situation. If you outright say it can't be done or don't try to come up with things too, you're not being constructive either in this.

Edited by Daydreamer09

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Just my opinion.

 

There are countries doing a better job of controlling this thing with their schools open. If our "leaders" would research and use their systems as a guide, It could make opening our schools safer. I don't know what measures are being planned, but if I were a parent, I would be checking it out.

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8 minutes ago, AngelsSin said:

@Daydreamer.

I don't hear you coming up with a solution either and I don't see a solution that works not that I havent given it plenty of thought just nothing that actually works I come from a medical family I have a good grasp on how these things work (germs and spreading germs) and I nor any medical profession I've heard of can come up with a solution. We can't even keep the adults from spreading it. Once again it's apples.to.oranges. Your right I don't understand anyone willing to risk a kids life and I never will!

 

1. Yeah, my point was your hypocrisy of pointing at everyone else, saying nobody has a solution when you give off the attitude it's impossible. Like, seriously.

2. Coming from a medical family, I am flummoxed how you don't see the long term value in education. 

3. Stop using "apples to oranges" You are using it wrong. It's used when you are comparing two DRASTICALLY different things.

4. You can't keep kids in a bubble. That's not possible, sane or logical. They have to take risks in life.

Edited by Daydreamer09

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17 minutes ago, Daydreamer09 said:

1. Yeah, my point was your hypocrisy of pointing at everyone else, saying nobody has a solution when you give off the attitude it's impossible. Like, seriously.

2. Coming from a medical family, I am flummoxed how you don't see the long term value in education. 

3. Stop using "apples to oranges" You are using it wrong. It's used when you are comparing two DRASTICALLY different things.

4. You can't keep kids and a bubble. That's not possible, sane or logical. They have to take risks in life.

First off  I said if you can come up with what I can't then by all means I will change my mind and admit to being wrong. Apparently you don't have an answer either and want to point out my lack of answer as well when I already stated I don't have one.

secondly I do see the value of education just that it becomes an empty issue if the kid dies for that education.

Third I didn't get that wrong at all,it is apples to oranges just cause you can't see it doesn't mean I'm wrong. 

You want to risk kids lives then risk your own.That's your right as a parent to a certain degree. I still think it's stupid and will continue to do so till someone smarter than me comes up with a good plan.

What's not sane or rational is a willingness to put kids in jeopardy for said education. There are risks and then there are RISKS. This is one of those.

I guess I am just being stupid or irrational for not wanting anymore kids to die.   But hey what do I know about such things, I mean really. Guess there is something wrong with me for wanting to protect kids from dying of a preventable disease.

Edited by AngelsSin

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1 hour ago, AngelsSin said:

 

I am not ignorant or unsympathetic to the needs of those who need special attention but these kids you are talking about are the ones who will be most at risk for covid fatalities.  Those with special needs or are from poor neighborhoods are those Most at risk. 

I can't stress this enough: this.

 

I work in with special needs youth. They are going to die if we bring everyone back to school. Yes, we have an equity issue unlike anything we have ever seen, but a bigger equity issue is allowing a mass euthanization that the government can go "well, we didn't know!" after and people will acquit them for it. It will, in effect, be a genocide against poor and special needs we welcomed with open arms, under the guise of protecting them.

 

Yes, mental health is important. Education is important. But you can't fix someone who is dead.

 

Bring schooling back this fall with numbers already breaking all of our previous records is the biggest mistake we can make. No option we have so far is a good one, but educational losses can be regained, routes for therapy can be figured out. Socialization can be maintained without endangering anyone, we just need to get better at it. A lot of us were told growing up that digital socialization isn't "real" socialization despite that it fills the same needs if it's treated as a real vector for social activity. From my experience on the ground during the last weeks of last semester, what was hurting special needs kids more than lack of technology was a lack of routine. After six weeks out of school entirely, some of them weren't ready to start getting up and being ready for classes at 7am again--especially not in an entirely new format. But here's the thing: it won't be new in the fall. Not like it was this spring. And a routine has to be maintained on both ends in and out of a pandemic or the educational gains these kids make is...not great. If people can start putting daily routines together for themselves, for their kids regardless of being typically abled or not, and specifically scheduling digital socialization where possible, it's going to get a lot better without having to break lockdowns or social distancing. I need to fix this, too. My routine is hot garbage right now and I know my mental health will improve if I fix that--I've got the socialization covered by things like NetflixParty while in a Discord call with my friends. And it's not like I'm in a great financial position either. I'm on Medicaid and EBT, I qualify for the state-supported $10/month internet and the free phone. For the last few months, my ISP suspended data caps, and  that can be continued if we're serious about surviving this mess.

 

Yes, people need to take risks to develop properly, but being put in the way of a pandemic is not it. Kids taking appropriate risks is stuff like going down the big slide while they're littles, or staying out an hour or two past curfew if they're older. Maybe tagging a wall if they're a real wild one. But healthy risk taking that benefits child development ends not far after that.

 

Edit: this is coming from someone who's lived some pretty wild experiences before this, like growing up in a borderline cult followed by homelessness, and untreated bipolar for years.

Edited by dragon_mando

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11 minutes ago, AngelsSin said:

I guess I am just being stupid or irrational for not wanting anymore kids to die.   But hey what do I know about such things, I mean really. Guess there is something wrong with me for wanting to protect kids from dying of a preventable disease.

NOBODY IS SAYING THAT! Look this is an issue with a lot of different angles. Everyone here understands that your viewpoint is motivated because you care about other people which is admirable. That's the motivation for everyone else too. Everyone is seeing the different ways covid19 is negatively impacting and affecting kids and are concerned. Take a deep breathe because I am genuinely worried you need to take a moment for your wellbeing.

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@dragon_mando.

 

Thank you! You put into words what I was trying to get across.

 

@Daydreamer.

 My mental state is just fine thank you very much. There is zero to worry about there and what you stated was me using sarcasm very heavy on the sarcasm.I feel very strongly about the protection and well being of children and will always strongly state my feelings on such. Don't misinterpret that as I might be having some sort of meltdown. That's me reading between your lines.

 

And I get everyones concerns on the other issues but there are alternatives to putting them in school and I don't believe until I hear someone come up with a good plan for it that putting them in school which to me puts their lives at risk is any sort of answer. They won't die in the short time of missing school or socializing that it would take for COVID to kill them other solutions need to be figured out. Until then I stand by what I've said and how I feel. None of the other issues kills as quickly as COVID.  Until the issues I've brought up are figured out, nothing else is acceptable enough. I hope someone smarter than me can figure out a workable answer. I know there are plenty smarter people out there. Let's hope they figure it out soon so this all becomes an empty argument.

Edited by AngelsSin

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