February at Last

That was a bloody long January.  No doubt it'll be a bloody long February too.  What a weird time we are living in.  Figures jumped up by 85% here in the last week (or thereabouts), hitting schools hard again. We got a message from NJ's school on Sunday to say a child in Grade 10 had tested positive.  He's in Grade 9.  Parents on the Whatsapp group were concerned as Grade 9 and 10 share hallways and some lessons.  NJ confirmed this.  Later that evening, he was chatting with friends and heard it was a boy he knows.  A boy he had lunch with last Thursday.  NJ didn't go to school Sunday (a long story).  He was a little concerned but school had assured us in an Email that each and every individual who had been in contact with the Covid + child would be contacted personally through their parents and brought in to school on the evening of the 1st February where the Ministry of Public Health would carry out group testing.  School are not allowed to release the name of the student(s) who test positive due to privacy rules. We assumed all was well as we didn't get a phone call.

NJ went off on the school bus yesterday morning (Monday) and as kids do, got chatting to his friend.  It became clear that it was the boy they had thought it was and NJ had not only lunched outdoors with him on Thursday.  He'd given him a few high fives and played with the kid's phone (eeek).  Two other kids in his class were there also. They were sensible and told a teacher and were segregated from the rest until they could be picked up by their parents. I'm a little peeved that it was missed during the tracing protocols but as school explained, the kid was sick when he was interviewed and obviously didn't consider the lunchtime period. I guess they're kids and it happens.  Things are forgotten. So NJ was in the group tested last night at school and we are now awaiting results.  Even if negative, he must quarantine for 14 days from when he was in contact with the boy (last Thursday) so that's him stuck indoors until 11th February regardless!  Strangely I do not have to isolate unless he tests positive but I will not see people during this time, it's not worth the risk.  I may go running outdoors by myself, but I will avoid contact with people whilst NJ is in isolation.

I really hope that it's a negative result and a lesson learned.  If he tests positive, there's a real big chance I will have it also.  We hug and kiss a lot in our house......

It's a shame as I was off next week too for half term and thought we may go paddling and up to the beach and do fun stuff.  That won't happen now and everyone thinks that a lock-down is imminent with the numbers jumping so exponentially.  Rumours are rife; that the field hospital has been re-opened.  That lock down will happen next week or that it will happen when active cases hit 7,000 (we are over 5,000 just now), schools will go back to online learning, restaurants and bars will close.  We don't know. They need to act quickly as something is amiss.  Quarantine rules are still in place, as are all the other restrictions, but numbers have shot up.  Is the incubation period longer now (new strains?) are people just 'Covid tired' or is it something else?

Stay safe people, stay indoors, tell people you love them.  Be kind xxx