School ventilation

The management of school ventilation by the Scottish Government during summer 2021.

Why the contribution is important

The risk of Covid transmission in schools had been highlighted in The Lancet in March, The British Medical Journal in June and in The Lancet again in July. The Scottish Government was also aware that it was dealing with a new virus variant by June, and the increased infectiousness of the new variant was well established by July.

Also, as remaining in full alignment with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on vaccination of the 12- to 15-year-old population was the Scottish policy, then work on school ventilation safety was a clear and urgent priority. Such ventilation work was also the only current method of protecting the under 12s.

Despite warnings from organisations like Long Covid Kids, the Scottish government lost the opportunity to tackle this issue. Its eventual response that it “will request regular updates on progress from all local authorities” came ten days before the new term started and was too little management too late.

by grahamcheckley on September 24, 2021 at 03:11PM

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Comments

  • Posted by Dy September 29, 2021 at 15:15

    If there is a concern about passing on viruses, infections etc. among general population, all public buildnings should have effective ventilation systems with suitable filters. The technology is now widely available and not too expensive. The cost and results should be compared against other less effective and even damaging measures such as lockdowns, masks, tests and experimental vaccines.

  • Posted by Wildmountainthyme September 29, 2021 at 22:57

    It’s hard to believe but it seems that goats did not care if children were infected and took the virus home to their parents as everyone knows they will do. One wonders if herd immunity was the end goal given the perception of low risk of serious illness in children. I imagine that is of little consolation if your child is one of the unlucky ones who winds up in hospital, or is left with long covid. This decision needs looking at.
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