Commenting on the story: Questions over Marshall’s mixed messages on schools

As a teacher and parent of young children in Year 3 and 4, I feel forced to remain at school.

My class is made up mainly children of other teachers who feel the same. 

Teachers don’t want to be at school.

We cannot keep the children at the recommended level of distance from other students.

I am forced to send my children to school (despite my desire to keep them at home) so that I can work as a teacher.

The pressures to learn online teaching (on a new Learning Management System that has only been introduced to our school at the start of this term) is a nightmare.

If we do get online teaching up and running, I will still need to come to school and teach both online and in-person, dragging my children along to school to allow me to do so.

Despite working 14 hour days, I am drowning.

I am seriously considering resigning from my permanent position so that I can keep my children at home.

I love teaching but we are stretched beyond our limits, on-edge and cannot continue like this. – Name withheld

“It’s crystal clear” and “it couldn’t be clearer”, apparently.

Please Steven, change the recording; You’re not clear. It isn’t crystal. This is getting patronising.

I’m also suspicious that your mantra is hiding the possibility that you and your government are ‘winging it’; that is to say, you’re not actually sure of what to do yourselves.

I suggest you speak to Dr.Griggs (decorated trauma doctor) to get some ideas. ASAP.

Meanwhile, parents will continue to keep their children out of school, a decision not taken likely, by me or other families. – Niki Green

In the current environment, let’s be clear between ‘mixed messages’ and ‘changing messages in an evolving situation’.

The state’s messaging has been consistent with the federal government – minimises confusion.

As circumstances change, we should expect the messaging to be modified.

There isn’t a one size fits all so imagine the messaging (especially after the media have cropped it/massaged it) if the message covered all permutations – go to school, study at home, if parents not working, if parents working, with technology available for classes to proceed, or no technology so education stops. – Keith Gillard

The medical ‘experts’ that have advised the federal and state governments on school closure are wrong.

When Hong Kong has influenza outbreaks the first thing they do is close the schools. This immediately reduces infection rates by 15%.

The Chief Medical Officer has been contradictory in his approach, maintaining that children have lower transmission rates (impossible to determine unless every child is tested) so do not need to stay away from school and that they can’t have groups of young people at shopping centres passing it on to members of the general public.

You can’t have it both ways. Poor messaging from federal and some state leaders. – Stephen Rate

Another mixed message is the stay home message.

We live in a small community 300 km from Adelaide. This community has about 9 permanent residents and 14 shacks.

In the last week, seven of the shack dwellers have arrived, most over 65 years of age. They have arrived with their families for Easter, apparently this is ok.

I thought the message was stay home and not travel. 

My concern is they are out and about, plus going to our local shops.

So if possible, can we have clarification re the two person rule and Easter travel. – Deidre Clarke

Commenting on the story: Dental practices shut as surgery restrictions take hold

I can understand why it would be important to limit the exposure of dentists, but also to ensure valuable PPE equipment is not being used for non-essential services just right at this minute.

However, between preventative dental care and emergencies or life threatening/requiring hospitalisation cases, there is a large space in between.

What about braces – does one go for an indefinite period of time without getting these checked and adjusted? There are children and teenagers with braces; there are adults with braces.

I’m sure there are other issues causing pain but not so extreme that they are life threatening – are they classed as emergencies?

Is it worth the dental association together with the police commissioner (or representatives from that office) to actually list the procedures that occur in a dentist and classify them or allow certain ones to go ahead? – Vicki Mavrakis

My orthodontist is continuing to treat as normal, including routine checks and continuing Invisalign treatments etc. which are non-emergency appointments.

This confuses me as dentists aren’t allowed to do this, so why are orthodontists? – Antonia Mertiris

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