I am due to have my 2nd AZ vacc on Tuesday (although now only 9 weeks apart from my first).
My daughter's secondary have made the sensible decision to keep the kids wearing masks in all common areas (although a few teaching staff have also never followed the open windows policy in their classrooms).
The school I work in (almost literally next door) has not - and on top of that, on Friday - have also decided to move the tills around in the canteen to get the kids through more quickly but which means we are now even closer to the kids.
We asked from the start that they put up plastic barriers and they did on some of the tills but not all of them (and not mine) because they said they were going to put
better ones up instead (the ones they did put up
are ridiculous/pointless) but have never done it.
The member of the SLT who was overseeing the change on Friday did voice a vague 'Hmm.. social distancing though?' thought, but they've done it anyway.
It's also made no difference to the speed because our cook is now manning the food counters on our side and is being totally over the fucking top about insisting on them all
queueing when the first place they arrive is the baguettes, where they scan through a huge choice of available options, instead of moving directly on to the hot food points if they DON'T want a baguette, which has been deliberately reduced from the start, so as NOT to give them so much choice/time spent deciding.
I am sat by an open door (a couple of meters behind me) but they now pass directly by me, along with the queue from the till one of my workmates is on (one of two anti-vaxxers I work with
) via a very narrow gap.
I expect this sort of stuff is going on very widely - how employers choose to interpret and/or ignore exisiting
rules, with the changing advice - let alone individuals, cos I imagine there's a huge signal (even more so to the younger, unvaccinated cohorts?) that it's all ok now.
Just thought I would expand on this.
Last Tuesday, we had four cases amongst one year.
The following day, there were three more cases and the whole year was sent home. I mean
I had my vacc on Tues, which was ok, but started feeling 'normally' ill (as opposed to what happened, and much sooner, with the first vaccination) late on Weds and on Thurs woke up with a sore throat and a muddy head, ears and eyes both affected. No cough, snot and nothing chesty at all - like a bad head cold. Occasional, mild temp fluctuations.
By that afternoon, I noticed a
bit of a change in taste and smell, so ordered a home test.
I then remembered that the last time I ordered a test, it didn't come until after the last priority box collection, so booked a walk in apt for the next morning.
Got an email on Friday to say the home test would arrive in time to do it, though, so tried to cancel the (earlier!) walk-in apt but there was no way to do that.
The test DID arrive
but... there was no liquid in the vial!
(Can't remember if it was then or the next day that I started to get a cough/snots/sneezes/total loss of appetite - unusual
- to add to it)
I called 119 to check whether that test would defo not work (lol) and also asked if there was anywhere one of my kids could collect a home test (I don't drive and wasn't up to going to the walk in if I didn't have to) and the advisor said there wasn't, so I ordered a
second home test.
Got an email at 4am on Sat morning, from Royal Mail, saying 'Sorry, your parcel from Covid 19 Home Testing Programme needed to be re-routed.
It's now on its way to you.'.
The tracking info showed it had arrived at a Home Counties depot, offered huge apologies and assured it had been immediately sent back out again.
Checked the tracking throughout that morning but it was stuck on having arrived at that (incorrect) depot at 11pm the night before, so I ordered ANOTHER home test.
Realised a bit later that I wouldn't be able to do a test until Tuesday by then, because none of the priority boxes had collecetions until then, so then booked a walk in for yesterday.
Dragged myself up and down the hills and that was all pretty straightforward - and they told me that you CAN collect home testing kits directly from them.
Have had a neg result today, but taken on Day 5 of symptoms, instead of what would have been Day 3.
I still feel ill. Nothing I'm worried about - I was assuming some level of protection from my first vacc and it does feel like a bad head cold (am currently hacking away, with a very productive cough
head/ears/eyes still all bad but snot/sneezes have stopped) - but just WTAF?!
It may well be that I have picked up some new bug that's doing the rounds, with the mask removal (and I defo haven't picked it up anywhere but work) or that it IS down to my 2nd vacc, or it may be that it is covid that just hasn't been picked up due to the effectiveness of the test itself and the delay in testing - but how the fuck can you know when there is such a lack of efficiency with the testing system itself, or bloody SENSE (in terms of my workplace!).
I am just going to assume I need to carry on staying at home for now (because I can, because I'm off for half term) - still ill and don't want to pass anything on to add to the bloody confusion at the very least, but I am SO fucked off at being governed, even on a very 'small world' (work) level, by such a bunch of dangerous, thick idiots.
I have sent a shitty response to the 'How did we do?' email, re testing - I mean maybe I just had an especially bad experience but it seems to be the assumption that people drive (or that they are capable of driving if they do, when they are ill), when I can only think it would all work better if it was set up for people who DON'T, even if the testing kits are actually fit for purpose.