I just realized I have ALREADY SENT my LAST college care package to Rob, because I sent an Easter package to him a couple weeks ago, and he graduates college in a few weeks.
Does that seem soon? I mentioned something about his graduation recently, and someone asked if he’d done an accelerated program; but actually he did a 5-year program with co-ops and a double major, so it ought to feel rather LONGER than usual. I think (1) other people’s kids always grow up faster, and (2) I have so many children, it’s hard to keep track, and (3) the pandemic warped everything.
Speaking of which, Rob just emailed us to let us know he tested positive for Covid. He said he was sick for about three days, and that he wouldn’t have tested except a professor asked him to do so and brought him a test. I bless that professor long-distance, because I think it’s good to know When, for all of our Long Covid tracking, which apparently we will be doing for quite some time, as an estimated 5-10% of us (and that includes people who were vaccinated) cope with it for the rest of our lives. I remember when Edward was diagnosed with Crohn’s, how I lay on the bed and cried about it, in large part because this was not just Temporary, or Until He Was Done with the Treatment, but FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE. It was going to be something he would deal with HIS ENTIRE LIFE; it would ALWAYS be a part of him and there was no escape from it.
Meanwhile, I don’t know about your school systems, but in our school system the cases have gone up EXPONENTIALLY this week. It feels as if everyone has it. Which is not super surprising, since our school system was one of the ones that decided the pandemic was over, because if the pandemic was NOT over they’d have to deal with angry parents, and no one wants that! So they abandoned all of the minimal precautions they’d taken in the first place.
A week ago, we found out that two of Elizabeth’s close friends, friends she sits next to in her classes, were both positive for Covid. (Elizabeth wears a mask, but the friends do not.) The school did not tell us, even though we know the school knows. The school was instead pressuring both of those friends to come back five days after the positive tests, telling them they “only had so many sick days,” and that THE STATE WOULD NEED TO GET INVOLVED if they didn’t return to school. This is while both friends were still actively symptomatic. Also: Edward has missed MANY WEEKS of school this year for Crohn’s-related things, as well as for a lengthy stint with pneumonia, and we have never been threatened with The State Getting Involved. One of Elizabeth’s friends came back to school on Thursday, because she thought she had to, and then missed Friday because she was still so sick. But at least the school got ONE EXTRA DAY of her breathing on her classmates!
Anyway, the school never told us that Elizabeth was the close contact of these two known cases, even though the school has a policy of notifying close contacts. They also did not tell us that another of Elizabeth’s classmates-who-sits-next-to-her-in-class-and-works-closely-with-her-on-projects had tested positive; we only know it, again, because the classmate told Elizabeth. Like, in case you are thinking, “Well, my school system seems fine!” You could ask yourself if your child’s classmates (or their parents) would tell you, if the school for some utterly baffling, and perhaps self-protecting/justifying reason, did not tell you.
Also, one of Elizabeth’s teachers was out with a positive Covid test, and then was back, telling the class that she was still testing positive but that the school said she had to come back after five days. The school did not tell us. Perhaps there was no need to tell us! But again: in case you are thinking your own school seems fine: this is another example of something I would not know unless the teacher told my child and my child told me.
Our school system DID tell us that Edward, who is immunosuppressed, was the close contact of someone who tested positive on Monday. They told us this on Thursday. Edward thinks he knows who it is, because someone who sits next to him in one class has been out since Monday; so have two other kids in that class; so has the teacher. (Edward wears a mask; the classmates and teacher do not.)
I feel as if everything is collapsing, and also that this was entirely predictable and entirely preventable. The United States, as a country, did it this way on purpose. This wasn’t something that could be dealt with on an individual basis; it was in fact one of the BEST POSSIBLE MOTIVATIONS/REASONS for having a government to guide/assist. I am so looking forward to the spin they put on this in the history books.
I don’t know exactly what our school district is doing since we don’t have any kids attending – but the school district my son teaches in is doing the same as yours. After five days he had to go back – masked for five days. A negative test was not required.
HOW is that even a possibility? It’s beyond me – particularly when you consider he works in an elementary school and there are probably kids in there that haven’t been vaccinated yet.
Then, today I read that this new variant seems to rebound after a few days.
The fact that everyone is acting like this is over makes me so very angry when it is clearly NOT. I’ve been watching the data in our county and today we had a positivity rate of 14.4% – and that only counts for the tests that are reported (not home tests).
But, you know…”people have to LIVE their lives” – even if it’s at the expense of someone else’s life.
Our state took away all the rules for schools, which effectively undermined the schools’ ability to enforce much. We were lucky in that the rules & procedures were in place longer than most places & the vaccines have been out for kids for a few months now. Cases are now exploding- my 6th grader tested positive on Monday (she’s fine now- sick for 2 days), another kid in her class tested positive on Sunday, another Tuesday and two more today. That’s 5 out of 21 kids…in one week. Previously only 2 kids had had it in the last 2 years.
Oh Swistle (and others), I’m so sorry to hear. Not that I don’t, you know, read the news and therefore know that these things are happening all over the country.
We are comparatively lucky. Our school notifies us in a way that at least seems prompt via phone calls and email, though no longer about close contacts in any meaningful way (the meaningfulness of earlier methods was debatable, so the change here may be minimal, even if the underlying problem of ineffective notification re: close contacts is worrisome). And although our system recently went masks optional (we as a family remain mask wearers), my son’s school which DID (ack!) have a bevy of cases — noticeably more than other schools in the system, just bad luck? — make masks temporarily mandatory again in response to that (phew!). So. Not great, but clearly better than what many are, er, navigating.
And — right. Why did “we” “choose” this alternative?
We are going to be SALTY OLD LADIES reading history books and longform journalism about These Unprecedented Times, nodding our heads but also writing corrections in our letters to the editor.
Some day, Lin-Manuel Miranda or his apprentice will write a musical about how damn stupid this is and how it did not need to happen, and we will dance in the aisles at intermission because we will finally, finally feel heard.
Ugh ugh ugh this is all awful. I hope Rob feels better soon and that Elizabeth and Edward remain healthy.
Wow, that is absolutely insane about the school system. Absolutely insane.
I hope Rob is feeling better soon.
Before omicron we used to get these messages from the school that someone who had been inside the building later tested positive but it always said these mysterious people had no close contact with anyone and the first time I thought okay, maybe a delivery person who was in and out, but every time? Then we stopped getting notices and when omicron hit I pretty much assumed my kid had close contact most days.
In January half the kids would be out at a time and so many teachers and subs were out classes were just left completely unattended at the high school level (I’m hoping it’s because they sent all the subs to elementary and/or middle schools). It seemed completely untenable and I fully expected schools to close, but they didn’t and conditions gradually got better. Since the aforementioned chaos happened after winter break I’m waiting to see if the same thing happens all over after spring break. (We just got back less than a week ago. All the students were supposed to test the last day of break but it was the honor system.)
I’m sorry Rob got sick. I’m really glad it wasn’t Edward. I hope you all stay well.
I don’t remember when exactly my teen’s school went mask optional. She still wears hers although it’s a cloth mask and probably not that great against the current version. But that also seems to be when the administration stopped letting us know how many positive cases they had that week. The last email from the principal that mentions covid cases is early February.
It really feels like the idiots won. They dragged this out until even rational people were so very tired of fighting them and covid. I’m guessing that with the next pandemic, we will just let it ride and let nature take it’s course. And if half the population dies, well, that’s one way to deal with a dying climate that won’t sustain so many people.
A better estimate of people living with PASC (post acute sequelae of SARS Covid-19) or long-covid is 10-30%. Try population-estimate of PASC or prevalence of PASC.
What is with the schools sticking to their guns on attendance policies this year? I mean, I know what is with it…but it’s still mind boggling. We are fortunate enough that we can keep our kids home if they are sick without missing work, so we do (mostly, out of consideration for the people who can’t), and we get treated like delinquents for it.
Our school board went back to a mask mandate last week, thank goodness, but even before that my daughter reported only 2-4 kids not wearing masks in each of her classes. I still see a lot more masked people than unmasked when I’m out doing the groceries here, but the percentage drops when I’m shopping for my mother who lives in a more rural area.
And unfortunately, I know quite a few people – people who are extra-cautious and are always masked and try to stay home and stay distanced when they can’t stay home – who are getting it. Younger kids in the house are definitely a factor as they bring it home from school.
We still haven’t gotten it but I feel like it’s only a matter of time. We’ve been really careful for the sake of my step-father who was fighting cancer, but he passed away last week so I feel a bit better about the inevitability of it invading our house. His funeral is in a week and we’re asking people to do a rapid test before coming and masks are mandatory in the facility in which we’re holding it. Fingers crossed we don’t become a super-spreading event.
I am so angry for all of you. SO ANGRY.
It is all so frustrating!
As to the “state may become involved” attendance threat, my pure-speculation is that the rus-to-return for covid cases relates to funding. One Edward being absent for a week here and there is a blip. Many students away for weeks might trigger a drop in state funding.
Luckily, although our provincial government is trying to pretend the pandemic is over, local schools and school boards are (to varying degrees) trying to subvert that approach. I am in a district that takes the view: “Well, they didn’t say that we were forbidden from disclosing reported cases.” And so, I get daily emails from three schools detailing which classes have had reported cases and when the person was last at school. The reports include all people, without distinction between staff and students. When my own children tested positive on RATs and I mentioned it in the attendance voicemail system around 8:30 am, emails went out to the class parents just after lunch and to the whole school by dinner time.
And they are repeatedly stressing that, although the school is not permitted to require masks, they do ask parents to remember that we cannot know who is a close contact (not allowed to document that data) but that the following long list of public health officials strongly recommend masking for indoor public settings. I.e., FTLOG please make your own children mask because we aren’t allowed to.
They (local school staff) are doing the best they can.
I love that there are some people doing the best that they can, even at a school, even as they are tired, even as they are unsupported in this by the local government. Thank you.
Commiseration from this end of the internet!
These times are so weird. People are mentally checked out with the pandemic even though it goes beyond logic. Hello, there is still A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. My employer, which was all for masking, working from home, and had a vaccine requirement (or mandatory weekly testing), has dropped all of those things now. Our family continues to wear masks in indoor, crowded spaces. There are still a number of cases in our community and I’d rather not take the personal risk.
I hope your family stays well.
Our elementary school, which kept masks long after our stupid new governor FORBADE schools from having a mask policy, and still VERY ACTIVELY ENCOURAGES (but does not mandate, because laws) students to mask, has had just a smattering of cases here and there throughout this entire school year. I got an email today that 6 students tested positive today alone. This is… dramatically higher than any other single day throughout the pandemic. COOL COOL COOL.
Accordingly to many articles out there people are tired of masking, getting booster shots, etc. Well I’m TIRED of government officials just giving up and saying things like we know masking is effective but some loud people don’t feel like masking anymore so we’re not even going to try. I mean WTF? I guess we should just drop all speed limits, other vaccine requirements, seat belt laws, smoking restrictions, hell just let everyone do whatever they want no matter how stupid or dangerous to themselves or others. I’m just so FED UP! Sorry to rant in your comment section, but I’m just so angry. UGH
I was chatting with a coworker (virtually) the other day, and I mentioned going to my oldest’s graduation in a few weeks (unmasked persons on a plane oh hoo-freaking-RAH). He said, “I thought he was still a freshman!” Than we agreed that the pandemic is not helping anyone keep track of the passage of time.
My spouse and children are still being responsible maskers, but one node of local family is anti-vax, and I haven’t seen them since the pandemic, nor do I want to, honestly, because they and their kind are exactly why things are as bad as they are. And no matter how much I liked them before (varying degrees, to be clear), this is just galling.
I can never figure out if I’m just having a gloomy day, am worn down by the pandemic, am actually getting sick, or what. Other people’s stupidity is exhausting.
I do not feel like our school system is doing fine. Classes have to go online. Both schools I work at are short-staffed and scrambling. We are also pretending the pandemic is over and I am incoherent with rage any time I’m not retreating into denial. My husband and I and our daughter (five hours away at a Canadian university) have had several very close calls so either we have good immunity or have been extraordinarily lucky, but I’m not counting on that holding out.
My son is also graduating next month and I feel very much that the pandemic warped everything, so it feels even faster than it would otherwise. He’s in the U.S. but was home for his second year from March to August, missing an entire baseball season, and the season in his third year was abbreviated and we couldn’t get across the border for any of it.
A friend called today so she would not have to worry alone, because her daughter (who is in the same elementary classroom as my daughter) had reported a significant amount of missing 5th-grade boys today. Since I volunteered in the classroom this morning, I could confirm that Yes! It did seem like a few more 5th graders were missing than usual. I also mentioned that I didn’t think we would hear about any covid cases in class, because I genuinely don’t believe a lot of families will test anymore. My friend seemed shocked by this, but I pointed out that first we stopped taking PCRs and just took rapid tests, and now I didn’t see why families who want the pandemic to be over wouldn’t just pretend their kids had a regular old cold and send them back after a few days without testing. Like, the school WANTS you to test when your child is sick or has been exposed, but as far as I can tell, they’re not enforcing it, unless they already know someone in your family has tested positive for covid. I think I disturbed my friend further with these thoughts, but all she said was “Ugh, I don’t want to have to start worrying about covid again,” which … I mean.
Our family already had covid at the tail end of the last surge in early March, and I still worry, and I still make my kids wear masks at school (my friend does not). We seem to have dodged long covid this time, but in fact, there will now never be a future ailment (migraines! diabetes! dementia!) where I don’t wonder if it would not have happened but for covid.