Lifting lockdown in The Manifesto

This has to come at some point, but how do we do it safely? It seems the two massive risk factors are: school and mass gatherings.

Now, I don’t particularly think school itself is the risk… the simple fact that when you close schools about a third of your workforce cannot work, therefore don’t commute, is basically what has the effect. The schools not being used as care hubs haven’t been used for 6+ weeks, so they don’t need deep cleaning.

I do think social distancing is impossible within schools. Even if you use all the available rooms and extra teachers there isn’t enough space to enforce social distancing. The best you can hope for is that:
- on way in everyone washes hands and has temperatures checked (no contact thermometer outside)
- Staggered start times for kids through different doors, avoiding everyone moving rooms or walking along same corridors where possible
- reminding everyone to clean hands and desks periodically
- assemblies and school lunch banned, kids eat packed lunch at their own desk.

Now personally if kids or teachers have been in school during lockdown, I’d make them do two weeks proper isolation before being allowed back into school - but obviously that’s not a popular choice. I.e. no work, no one in their family leaving the house etc. It isn’t going to be possible for everyone to do but for the vast majority it is, and it’s unfair they remain locked down just because a small percentage might be affected.

There will still be kids who are vulnerable or live with shielded people so they will continue online school, taught by teachers who are also shielding.

Australia and various other places have said gatherings of 5, then 10, then 20 people will be allowed. Mass gatherings I think will be out till they figure out how to treat or vaccinate. But there is potentially a huge boom in private dining rooms and exclusive concerts as long as you can get contact details for everyone who attends.

People should keep a diary of exposure, which I think would be far more effective than the ridiculous apps they are trying. If you leave the house you fill in a form, which you have to carry with you about where you are going. Then if you get it, they look at your book of forms and can contact everyone - because if you want to open, you’ll need to have contact details of the people who book.

We aren’t going to reach zero, I think this is as good as we are going to get. Because there are people who need to move about or have just simply ignored it all.