As I type the nation is hours away from an important press conference. This evening the Dutch prime minister will announce what will happen to the coronavirus crisis measures that are due to expire on the 28 April. One of those measures is the closure of all Dutch schools, which went into effect on the 16th March. Will the government reopen Dutch schools soon?
Schooling at Home
For some families schooling at home has been relatively easy to pick up and run with. For other families it has been harder. Much harder.
But for some children it has been impossible. Around 5000 children across the country dropped off school radars once schools closed. The impact of school closing on vulnerable and disadvantaged children is, of course, huge. School inspectors are attempting home visits to get in contact with these families, but it is an uphill battle.
Combining Work and School at Home
Talking from my own perspective, combining working with children schooling at home has been tough. If not impossible. I know I am not alone.
So should we calling for schools to be reopened as soon as possible?
Why Schools Closed in March
Schools began closing their doors after social distancing measures were announced on the 12th of March. Once people displaying any symptoms were told to stay at home it became difficult to keep many classes going. (There is already a teacher shortage in the Netherlands).
Parents became anxious. And schools responded.
So whilst the government insist that children don’t play a large role in spreading COVID-19, and show few symptoms if they do have the virus, schools were closed anyway. It became untenable. And this was certainly in line with what happened across the world.
Study Results: Reopen Dutch Schools?
Mark Rutte informed us of the start up of a Dutch study about children and the COVID-19 virus. Based on the results of this study the government would make a future decision about when to reopen Dutch schools.
That study had start up issues as researchers didn’t have enough test subjects (i.e. families) and results won’t be known until at least 1 June.
So the advice this evening will be based on research done elsewhere. Presumably.
Notably, Denmark and Germany have re-opened primary schools. With restrictions.
This Evening’s Press Conference – Will Dutch Schools Reopen?
- Primary schools will reopen after the May break. Possibly operating with partial opening so the entire school is not in classes at the same time (which as far as I can see means partially online, partially in person schooling)
- Sport clubs for the under 12s can reopen and kids do not have to social distance
- Sport clubs for kids 12 to 18 can reopen whilst adhering to social distancing rules. (Am curious to see football training with kids 1.5 meters from each other at all times).
- Rules for care home visits will remain unchanged
- Dentists will be allowed to reopen with conditions
- Secondary schools will reopen a month after primary schools. That’s once we know what impact opening primary schools has on the rate of infection
This is an excerpt from the NOS article linked above, which I just want to leave with you:
Als er een maand na de opening van de basisscholen geen grote uitbraken zijn geweest, dan kan het voortgezet onderwijs zich voorbereiden op het opstarten van “fysiek onderwijs”, in de klas. In deze schoolgebouwen moet wel de anderhalve meter afstand gehandhaafd worden.
Advies aan kabinet: kinderen weer naar opvang, deels naar basisschool en sport: NOS
COVID-19 and Children
The theory is that children don’t get particularly ill when they have COVID-19. They display few symptoms, if any at all. Research so far shows that around 3% of under 18s that have COVID-19 are seriously ill.
Around 16% of children with the virus has a fever and less than this percentage has respiratory issues.
What role children play in the spread of the virus isn’t really known yet.
It’s Probably Flu. Right?
Back on the 7th March I became sick. I spent two weeks feeling crap on the sofa or in bed. I assumed at the time it was flu. This was before the government implemented the coronavirus measures across the country. This was when eyes were firmly fixed on Brabant.
But the government then implemented measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 across the country. Instead of ‘don’t shake hands’ it was don’t go within 1.5 meters from each other.
Ten days into my illness I was out of breath doing normal things, like going upstairs. I developed a cough. Mild and only in the evening. It wasn’t persistent. I didn’t have a fever. It didn’t fit with the COVID-19 symptom warnings at the time. So flu we figured.
Thank goodness for the social distancing measures that were then in already in place.
My husband fell ill the second week after schools closed. He was already working at home at the time.
But little seeds of suspicion that it could be COVID-19 began to grow. Particularly when we realised that the biggest outbreak in Germany was in the area next to where we live. Germans from that province are regular visitors to our local shopping centre. My husband had been teaching for days in Eindhoven, where there were known cases too.
All possibles. But there was no way of knowing.
Three Sick Children……
Fast forward six weeks.
We just took our eight year old to a specially designated ‘corona centre’ because his symptoms (a cough) meant the GP couldn’t risk him going to the doctor’s surgery.
The doctor in the corona centre has no testing capability for COVID-19. Tests are only for those admitted to hospital (as was the case for the adult patient in front of my son in the queue). However, the doctor was as sure as she could be without a test that my son has COVID-19. And that what I had at the beginning of March was COVID-19. We can also assume that the rest of our family has been, or is, infected.
On March 13, one day after the social distancing rules were brought in to effect, my two youngest stayed home from school. Sore throat or cough? Stay home. That was the case with Mr 8 and Mr 10, so they didn’t go to school that day.
We have been up and down with their health ever since. Headaches, fatigue, nausea, a cough. And then a few days as right as rain. Then headaches again. And then okay. And then a reappearing cough. A day on the sofa with no energy.
And Mr 13 joined in too.
For six weeks this has been the picture in our house.
A few weeks ago we called the GP about Mr 8. He was prescribed an inhaler, we were told it was nothing to be alarmed about and it was probably bronchial.
And so last Friday a visit to the corona centre with Mr 8. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, extreme fatigue. Still described as mild symptoms, but debilitating for an eight year old that can do very little right now except sick it out on the sofa. The doctor told us to watch him like a hawk, as this virus can spiral the wrong way within half a day.
Anxious mother here? Yeah, you could say that.
…..and a Sceptical Mother
So try selling me the story that kids don’t get particularly ill with COVID-19. No hospitalisations here, and it hopefully stays that way, but the last few weeks haven’t been fun either. Nor free of worry.
My eldest son was later to the party so I can only assume he got the virus from one of his brothers.
At the moment we are in quarantine. Which looks pretty much like life as we have been living it since 13 March.
If there are changes to the measures in place for schools and sports for kids they will come into effect after the school holiday next week, or after 28 April.
I know for sure that my kids won’t be getting back to their football club next week, if a reopening is what is advised this evening. Whether they will be symptom free and heading back to primary school in May also remains to be seen….. Six weeks of symptoms and counting.
Over to You
It’s a divisive topic I know. Some parents want to see their kids back at school asap. Others, those with at risk children or family members, are less than enthusiastic. We were promised decisions based on the science. Do you feel there is enough research available to decide whether to reopen Dutch schools?
Where do you stand on this? What others measures do you think should be loosened? Or shelved completely? How’s it working out in other countries? Let me know your views!
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