Teaching and transportation among most risky jobs during pandemic
New data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that teaching and transport are among the highest-risk professions outside health and social care, in terms of close-contact exposure to those who might be carrying infection.
The news comes after Boris Johnson’s u-turn on sending children back to school and Labour’s bizarre decision to attack the u-turn and push for an accelerated return in spite of the objections of teaching and other unions.
The ONS data showed, predictably, that health and social care activities involve the most employees coming into close contact with others, with air travel, food services next non-residential social work next. Transportation then follows with 34% of staff working in regular close proximity and 30% of those working in education.
In both sectors, around 80% of staff have to work within a two-metre distance of others.
Significant numbers of people in transport and teaching have been killed by the virus, with the awful case of station worker Belly Mujinga making headlines when she died after being spat on by a passenger who said he was infected – and the decision of the authorities not to prosecute even for assault.
The government’s guidance for teachers says that even if they have been physically helping a pupil taken ill with coronavirus symptoms they should not self-isolate unless they also become ill, even though the rest of the country is still expected to stay home and obtain a test.
The risk exceeds what the ONS data reveals, as children will mingle with each other and passengers and transport staff are confined in enclosed proximity, the optimal conditions for the virus to spread.
The threat to workers in two essential sectors – and the children and passengers they work with – underlines the danger of Boris Johnson’s haste to lift lockdown in spite of the still-high incidence of the virus in England’s population – especially when studies in France and Germany have demonstrated how easily schools can become the driver of a second wave of the pandemic.
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There is a frightening lack of creative thinking in how schools can be reorganised. Other countries have expanded into other public places and are offering new ways of learning whereas in the UK the idea is to revert to old methods with kids all facing the front like it was in the 1950’s. After a month it was realised that with half classes double the space and double the teachers would be required. It took a month! This Govt will never fund such an expansion not least because kids don’t create profit and schools don’t donate money to them so it goes on the back burner which is stacking up with issues “too difficult” to think about. Back burners save a lot of money.
I believe many school playing fields have been sold off, but I imagine all still have playgrounds.
With only a fixed number of teachers class sizes ideally should remain the same – with no large enough classrooms for 2m spacing the obvious solution, given that it’s summer, is to move classes outside.
Marquees with the sides rolled up when not windy would allow far more changes of air than any classroom, even one with the windows opened.
Outside is clearly safer than breathing the air that recirculates around a classroom with thirty kids in it.
Why is this not obvious to education authorities and government?
It’s not as if the marquee companies are doing anything else with them this summer, unless they’re all being used at testing stations.
Maybe there aren’t enough marquees to go around but the army will have more and there are other kinds of outdoor shelter that can be constructed from tarpaulins.
On the area required for 2m spacing – with 30 individuals, 5 rows of 6 takes up 10m x 12m. Ideally 12m x 14m to prevent anyone being next to a wall or corner.
Not too big an area to cover outdoors by any means.
I think these failures of imagination are down to the increasingly centralised nature of this Govt. In the past Local Authorities ran infection Control – and knew what they were doing. This Govt prefers Serco and their other friends to do it using people after a few hours ‘training’. It’s partly a hatred of local authorities but more because the Tory party gets the kickback, The issue is best highlighted by the refusal to allow MP’s to vote electronically and instead spend hours in Q’s. You’d imagine a sensible Govt getting to grips with the situation might say all kids need a lap top and are taught to use it – remote learning is pretty useless if 30% can’t take part. Similarly WHY leave broad band in the hands of private companies who move at a snail’s pace and will take another 20 years to provide a good connection to even 90% of areas. SKorea has 99% of its population with Lap tops with full access to the internet.
The biggest indoor spaces not used are the vast Churches of the Victorian era. But this Govt won’t like the idea of paying for the space nor increasing the numbers of staff. So they’ll just muddle along as they are doing, fingers crossed there will be a cheap vaccine soon.
I can think of a least two municipal buildings round here that the toerags have sold off/shut down that are still unoccupied…
If my town’s typical of unoccupied buildings then there’s half the battle won by redesignating/requisitioning them.
According to latest NHS data the fatalities for Covid-19 between the ages of 0-19 are 3 solely from it and 15 with primary illnesses.
In addition, they also stated between the ages of 20-39 it was 32 and 158 respectively.
Plus, they also stated between the ages of 40-59 it was 255 and 1,830 respectively and so on.
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/COVID-19-total-announced-deaths-3-June-2020-weekly-tables.xlsx
Your point is that kids don’t suffer from it? But do they carry the virus and spread it to family members including grandparents? You don’t say and apparently nobody knows.
Oh dear, you are not looking at the official NHS data again. The virus amongst the 20-59 age group is very low. Those who have died from it solely from Covid-19, according to the NHS data is less than 1200, of those approximately 600 were over the age of 80 and 95% of those that died had 1 or more serious primary illnesses such as cancer, dementia, respiratory illnesses, Parkinson’s, heart problems etc.
The fatalities rate, as measured by 8 countries, including Austria, is between 0.2-0.46%. The fatalities rate in the U.K. for the last 29 years is between approximately 0.2-0.6%.
It appears hysteria, hyperbole, frenzied attempts to keep the “ pandemic “ pumped up override factual data and evidence. Nothing new in that. It has happened quite a few times in the last century or more!
But Brian why are Govts around the World apparently intent on causing a collapse of capitalism and World wide Revolution? Is it possible that they’re acting on warnings from doctors? You may argue the medics are inventing it to obtain new funding but frankly that seems highly unlikely!
“But do they carry the virus and spread it”
Not established. And, even if true – it’s a mild disease for the majority of the population.
@Paul
Massive looting by corporations. Around a trillion dollars in the US alone. Notice Bransons gone quiet
You view more user friendly graphs here.
https://hectordrummond.com/2020/06/05/early-june-graphs-from-christopher-bowyer/
The familiar figure of Professor Dr, Christian Drosten is being wheeled out again to support the danger to children narrative in very large numbers. However, what is very frequently omitted is he works or worked in the Berlin Charite medical department dealing with the testing of Covid -19, receiving substantial money from the B&MGF, and he is CEO of a company which is making millions of Euros from the test equipment which he and his colleagues helped to develop. Yet, the veracity of it is disputed by many many virologists, medical doctors, Professors, institutions not recipients of the B&MGF or international pharmaceutical corporations for cash donations!
Most research is funded by industry in associated fields – it’s a fact of life in a capitalist world.
It’s completely specious selectively to attack the credibility of one researcher purely on that basis when all are funded in the same way.
It’s also specious to attack B and M Gates when they fund multiple researchers, institutions and areas of research – by implying that the Gates Foundation demands specific outcomes in some areas you’d destroy the credibility of all research – if anyone took your ridiculous ravings seriously.
Those big pharma corporations that require ‘slanted’ results focus their funding very narrowly.
One can’t bribe or blackmail the whole of academia.
Bill Gates was a computer entrepreneur whose background in medicine is zilch. He and wife set up a foundation called B&MGF and has indeed donated billions into the WHO plus medical institutions such as the now discredited Professor Ferguson and Imperial College plus many other researchers such as Professor Christian Drosten’s department at the Berlin Charite hospital or the John Hopkins medical department.
However, he is not doing all of this out of the kindness of his heart. His wealth has increased at his foundation which also has a subsidiary by approximately $56,000,000,000 thanks to his stock holding in other companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, the Welcome Trust and many other international pharmaceutical and companies connected with them.
Now, it is very noticeable the commonality of many of the institutions, researchers, Professors who are consistently cited either in the MSM, the State Broadcaster, The Broadcasters etc. They are recipients of B&MGF or International Pharmaceutical corporations.
The old adage he who pays the piper calls the tune as we can see by the actions of the State Broadcaster or as Upton Sinclair, an American socialist and novelist said “ it’s difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it..” .
Moreover, the many many virologists, doctors, Professors, medical institutions who are not recipients of the B&MGF or international pharmaceutical corporations rarely can voice their views on MSM, the State Broadcaster.
It appears your only fallback is ad hominem. To misquote the evil old witch, when all they have to offer is ad hominem, they have no arguments !!
Recently, there has been emerging leaked testimony from, amongst others, editors of medical journals like the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, about the pressure mounted by big pharma in terms of the initiation and publication of research – to a ‘criminal’ extent
Big Data + Big Pharma = A Massive Pile of Dosh to be sprinkled around for influence. Look at the Tobacco industry and it’s political influence in the past – that is nothing like as large a pressure source.
On top of this, you have a variety of state actors with an interest in pushing the panicdemic – none of it very hard to define.
Essentially, this is the next biggest con after WMD in Iraq – and the interests overlap in the two stories (and in the Corbyn-rubbishing stuff).
… and that’s not about ‘conspiracy’ – it’s about the subframe of the bleedin’ obvious in politics.
To Bubber – if funding makes the funded researcher suspect – which of YOUR researchers are NOT funded by big business?
Further, please explain why being REFUSED funding would not motivate the excluded researcher to express opposing views.
To RH – “On top of this, you have a variety of state actors with an interest in pushing the panicdemic – none of it very hard to define.”
OK, please define exactly how “state actors” gain from trashing their own economies.
@Brian
Gates does have a background in medicine.
It’s his dad, William Henry Gates. He was the head of a little organisation called Planned Parenthood.
Organise a month’s holiday in Caribbean Tax Havens for everyone over the age of 65; paid for by Tax Exiles & the City of London. Now that’s positive…..better than changing the name Penny Lane.
……………& on a lighter note ‘Police in Bristol want to question 17 protesters for harbouring a known criminal.’
Heh heh heh 🙂
Paul, using tangential extrapolations again is no substitute for proven data and evidence as produced by , for example, the NHS which you are trying very hard to avoiding acknowledging. Another tactic from the MSMS, avoid factual evidence, data and pursue trivialities.
More BS from SB. Typical MSM-type churmnalism lacking context and contact with reality.
I’m not sure what the motivation is, being suspicious of conspiracy theories – but SB is BS on Covid-19.
I suggest a fairly detailed overview of the unreported real stuff is a good vaccine for the panicdemic disease :
https://swprs.org/a-swiss-doctor-on-covid-19/
The one thing I don’t see here amongst the garbage items mimicking the Beeb and Groan is any description of when to get out of the Land of the AntiSocial, and Newly Impoverished, given that the virus is now way below anything that can be described as an ‘epidemic’. Some have rightly enjoyed the holiday whilst they are getting paid: but, what happens when the furlough money is withdrawn and they join those already suffering difficulties?
And – for an allegedly ‘left wing’ website – where is the analysis of corporate and establishment interests in the Panicdemic? When has a basic attempt to ‘follow the money’ or ask the wider question ‘Cui bono?’ been made, when we *know* the narrative was vastly over-hyped?
Instead there’s just more shovelling of misleading garbage non-stories onto the existing pile.
”where is the analysis of corporate and establishment interests in the Panicdemic?”
Why don’t YOU enlighten us, brains?
We’ve already had the murmurs of ‘unions doing & saying ‘x’ without any evidence’ ; and half of it’s come from you.
Then there’s been the subliminal ‘skivers’ message. ‘People furloughed unnecessarily, off work unnecessarily, claiming SSP unnecessarily…They’re off work when it’s SAFE’ to return.’
‘Cui bono’ you’re asking??
Well I’ll tell you who ‘cui bonos’ from driving people back to work in not-anywhere-near-proven-to-be-safe-environs; merely in order produce wealth for the corporates and billionaires (who are haemorrhaging their ill-gotten at a faster rate than the poorest are losing out).
…Oh, seems I just did. Well they (and you, acting as their shill) can fucking well kiss it. It’s about time we seen the likes of rees-smog ‘on the hod’ or richard bearded-twunt branson carting a fully loaded wheelbarrow of shite around all day, instead of complaining that us plebs aren’t pulling the tripes out of ourselves for fuck-all; like they think we fucking well owe them.
The time for forelock-tugging has long passed. About time they took the haircut.
Yes indeed, The Toffee. As you and so many others have asked the coronavirus denier conspiraloons – represented here in obsessively frequent posts by Brianbotou and RH; why would a global capitalist class , already wracked by an ever-deepening crisis of profitability, especially since the collapse of the ‘fictitious profits’ bubble of the financial sector in the 2008 financial Crash, deliberately concoct or massively exaggerate a ‘pandemic hoax’ which has , locked down the very commercial activities that generate their very capitalist lifeblood, ie, surplus value ? Playing with statistics and defaming any academic who doesn’t buy into the pandemic denial bollocks simply fails to answer that fundamental logical error in the coronavirus denier’s bonkers argument.
The only people who benefit from rubbishing the harsh reality of the current pandemic is a capitalist class desperate to get the surplus value generating proletariat back to work – regardless of the resulting death toll. Coronavirus is NOT , ‘just like flu’ , unless we are talking about the 2018 global ‘Spanish’ flu pandemic ! Even many , younger, superficially reasonably healthy, people who survive a bout of coronavirus are proving to have incurred life-changing lung and other organ damage, as reported in today’s Guardian. It simply aint like ordinary seasonal flu – so stop spreading your irresponsible conspiraloon nonsense, RH and Brianbotou.
Have you looked at the evidence from the recent NHS graphs detailing how many people actually died from Covid-19, how many had at 1 or more primary illnesses, how many were over the age of 60, how the median age as measured by 8 countries is between 80-86. Have you also taken note of the fatalities percentages as measured by 8 countries including Austria which is between about 0.2-0- 0.46%.
In addition, have you also taken note that despite this data, the government has sent the country into an economic quagmire which will lead to millions upon millions of additional unemployed people, more house repossessions, more homelessness and more people dependent on food banks. Have you taken note Cui Bono.
Well it certainly isn’t small to medium sized businesses but the the Bank of England has made a new round of QE. as the Federal Reserve have for Wall street. Who benefited from the last time QE was used in a crisis. Answer, the Banks, Stock Markets, hedge funds and very very rich investors.
So until you can provide factual evidence, try to refrain from using terms which was first brought into the public consciousness by trying to explain how a man in a moving car could be shot multiple times at almost 90% to the original wound and the man sitting next to him with a wound 180% from the original wound on the first man. This feat of marksmanship was carried out by one man in a fixed position, using one bolt action hunting rifle. The explanations were defying the laws of physics so the answer was a magic bullet theory. Of course anyone who questioned this hogwash was called ” a conspiracy theorist”.
Things haven’t changed much since then!
@Brian
Why do you suddenly believe the government or their figures?!?!
Hey up , Toffer – Ha’Penny’s given you his seal of approval and agreed with you.
Partners. The Butch and Sundance of fuckwittery!
What ‘not safe’ environs in this non-epidemic world? Do you *really* think that the corporations are suffering and that the Tories have set this up for the benefit of the workers? Your spleen has taken over your brain, I fear.
I know mindless rants take up a lot of your time – but have a go at looking at the actuality.
You’re so eager for everyone to got out and put themselves at risk, dicky…But why won’t you lead by example?
Go on. After all, it’s only ‘mild’ innit? Go out and stick yer tongue right up de piffle’s arse crack and cop a dose of it. Show us all how brave and clever you are and how simple us plebs must be.
Do it – or shut your fucking grid.
Mc Bullshit, note the terms are used with reference to the B&MGF as the commonality between the Professor Ferguson, Imperial College discredited guesses, The John Hopkins Medical department, the Berlin Charite hospital etc and the W.H.O organization.
In addition, you might have also noted I mentioned how much money the B&MGF have made via the stock holdings they have, via their own subsidiary company, in the international pharmaceuticals corporations. To the tune of about $56,000,000,000. Yet, you have made no reference to this in your retort. Are you saying either A. They have not received funding from B&MGF and B. The funding is irrelevant to their objectivity and C. As demonstrated by the State Broadcaster receiving funding from the The government it has not affected their objectivity!!
Your claim that the Gates foundation is a money-making enterprise masquerading as a charity may or may not be true, I haven’t looked – and I wouldn’t trust your sources anyway.
I’m no fan of Gates, Microsoft or any corporation, but claiming that everyone apart from your tiny cadre of minority-view sources is either lying or stupid is more than a bit deluded.
Science is different to media or politics where they lie with impunity – scientists can survive having a theory disproved but falsification ends careers.
Everybody knows that.
So you are sidestepping the points I made. Are you denying the BAMGF made approximately $56,000,000,000 for ( saying you don’t know is not an answer since it implies that because you don’t know then the evidence must be dismissed) according to you a foundation which is only interested in donating to worthy causes. Moreover, are you denying that the WHO, Professor Ferguson and Imperial plus many other institutions are recipient from the BAMGF. In addition, are you also denying that the B&MGF are only donating for only altruistic purposes. Despite the fact that after the last ” pandemic ” in 2009 based on the estimates of Ferguson and Imperial the International pharmaceutical corporations in conjunction with B&MGF made billions on expensive vaccines which had to be thrown away because the predicted numbers were way out and never materialized. Just to reiterate he who pays the piper calls the tune as can be seen in the case of the State Broadcaster jumping to the tune of the Tory party or the government of the day
BBC News just said offhandedly and without further comment “The government says testing and tracing is working well but a third of those who tested positive couldn’t be contacted.”
Fucking WHAT!!?
Oh yes, I see you are reverting to type again by your use of ad hominem when you have no arguments!
brianbotou11/06/2020 AT 7:30 PM
”Oh yes, I see you are reverting to type again by your use of ad hominem when you have no arguments!”
That a fact, brian? Ok then, let’s look at another example, shall we?
https://skwawkbox.org/2020/06/11/research-shows-teachers-and-transport-workers-risk-from-close-contact-with-pupils-among-highest-in-non-health-social-care/#comment-149097
brianbotou11/06/2020 AT 3:25 PM
Mc Bullshit,
Glass houses, brian, glass houses…
If you notice Toffee, I normally only use ad hominem when people start doing it to me. I don’t believe in being meek and mild when someone comes the cxxt I will give it back to them. So you need look for another cliche my friend !
You must be very naive if you think science is purely based on scientific fact and not on in past cases of entrenched ideas, politics and money.
It is fascinating here to watch brave radicalism crumble into supine excuses for a given narrative – after all the strictures against global corporate behaiour in the past. The Tories must be massively pleased with their psy-ops experiment.
Unfortunately, there is nothing new in people swallowing the MSM narratives. As Chomsky said you have to admire the power of persuasion the MSM has to convince people that a man who for over 40 years has fought against racism, is now a racist!
If science were not “purely based on scientific fact” your computer wouldn’t work, you’d be shitting behind a tree, living in a cave, worshipping a rock and asking the fire-carrier to come and chase away the evil cold-spirit.
Alas, your knowledge of the history of the struggles many scientists had to have their revolutionary theories accepted because of dogma, vested interests, political expediency is well documented throughout the ages is very sadly lacking.
Eg Gregor Mendel’s work on genetic inheritance.
Ignacio Semmelweis theory of washing your hands between surgeons washing their hands between operations could reduce the death toll.
Georg Zweig proposed the theory of quarks, however, established scientists refused to accept his theory, eventually, he received the Nobel prize.
Ludwig Boltzmann developed equations and formulas explaining the properties of atoms and how they determine the physical nature of matter. After fighting for years to have his theory accepted he committed suicide, This was only 3 years before Ernest Rutherford discovered the nucleus of the atom, proving Boltzmann theory.
None of the above scientists received acceptances of their research and theories in their lifetimes because of some, all or more of the reasons I mentioned and there are many many more scientists who faced similar struggles to have their work accepted in their lifetimes!
Thanks for proving my point, Bubba.
The point being that truth rules in science, whether it takes a week or a century.
There are crooks in science as there are everywhere else but it takes less time to disprove false theories today than ever before – time will tell who’s right on CV propagation, but the precautionary principle on fatal infectious/contageous diseases still holds good.
NVLA, yes his father was and prior to that was a senior member of the Eugenics society in America which received substantial funds from the Rockefeller’s amongst others.
NVLA, “ why do you suddenly believe the government and their figures…”.You may or may not have noticed but I have quoted from many sources not connected with government. Eg the Oxford CBEM or data from studies carried out by other countries eg Austria amongst others, virologists, doctors, Professors, medical entirely independent either of the government or beneficiaries from B&MGF. So to answer your question no “ I didn’t suddenly believe the government and their figures..”. However, I will ask do you have any evidence that Covid-19 doesn’t affect only a minute percentage of people, plus the fatalities from it caused solely by it, as produced by the NHS, are only 5% from the total number of fatalities up to the 3rd June.
I don’t care about covid Brian. I’ve had the best couple of months of my life. I’ve bonded much closer with my step kids, I’ve gotten so much done around the house, I’m back to full military combat fitness at near fifty and the weather was amazing.
I don’t want a world where we are forced to make others richer..
Do I believe covid is real? Yes. Do I believe it’s being exploited? Yes. Was it done deliberately? Not sure
Well, NVLA, I am heading towards 70 and have a very serious health condition so COVID-19 for me personally is a side issue in comparison to what I have.
However, I do have grave concerns for the young people, I was in the teaching profession for a long time, and what sort of society they will live in. I know from my dealings with the generations who fought in 2 world wars they would up in arms about being corralled like sheep in their homes, unable to work, unable to earn money ( especially after living through the Great Depression which we are about to face) and being placed under gestapo type law.
Tyranny does not coming marching in through the front door it usually creeps in through the back. So the reasons given for these unprecedented measures are based on a discredited Professor and his institution, receiving $400,000,000 from B&MGF and called a “ pandemic “ by the WHO, which also has received 1,000,000,000s from B&MGF. Supported by the usual list of characters the MSMS ( predominantly owned by right wing billionaires, Russian oligarchs, hedge funds etc), the State Broadcaster and of course Brigade 77 the MODs propaganda unit.
Cui Bono well, the banks, hedge funds giant corporations, very rich investors, etc
An additional point you alluded to was the fact that Gates father was indeed was in the family planning organisation but a lesser known fact was he a senior member of the American Eugenics movement.
Do I believe Covid-19 is real, yes, the data proves it, do I believe it deserves to be classed as a “ pandemic “ no, the data proves it. Was it done deliberately. The jury is out there is not enough evidence facts to prove conclusively one way or the other.
Teaching “profession,” eh? I didn’t even know there was a Woodwork University.
Ah, Mc Bullshit makes his first utterance of the day. What happened different shift pattern today?
brianbotou11/06/2020 AT 7:30 PM
Oh yes, I see you are reverting to type again by your use of ad hominem when you have no arguments!
You’ve done it twice in the same thread, brian.
Twice.
No, I’m long retired. Today I’ve just been lazing around, checking out the new hailer/foghorn controller and chilling, looking out over the water through the open mainhatch.
Lovely day today. Must try to be arsed doing some work on fitting the new bowthruster tomorrow, so I can crane it back into the water.
You, dear?
But you aren’t staying on board in dry dock are you?
No Paul, no dry dock, just craned out of the water to the quayside.
Are boats moving where you are? It’s hard to get information about when the Trust will ease restrictions. 4 July? 95% of boating is very socially distanced, even at locks. Sewage disposal a different matter but is possible with care. Hire companies will fold if they don’t get a green light this Summer.
Toffee, I see you have a new role. Keeper of the posts !
Not really.
I’m more of a ‘hypocrite-finder general’ , if you will.
Really, perhaps the title of seeker of selective quotes might be more fitting!!!
Bubba, defending a minority scientific opinion relies on ‘selectively quoting’ that minority opinion. The orthodoxy by definition requires no selectivity.
You would concede that yours is the minority view I take it, ‘teacher’?
I’ll take a wild guess that your subject wasn’t one of the sciences?
@Paul, 2:32 PM
I don’t know anything about what’s happening on the waterways I’m afraid Paul, mine’s a sailing boat.
Rather be at sea than anywhere near Timothy West playing canal boat dodgems anyway 🙂
Fair point!