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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 8h

Clara's Mum Emma says the government hugely underestimated the damage COVID could cause to children & welcomes the inquiry
"children deserve to have the answers to why this happened, and we deserve to have a plan so we see this never happens again"

"our children's voices deserve to be heard"

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 8h

Clara, age 11 says "I feel exhausted, sometimes I can't get out my bed, I have to use a wheelchair, I have to be on a part time timetable at school but sometimes I don't get in for that, I don't see a lot of my friends"
UK #COVIDInquiry

🙏 @channel5bluesky.bsky.social

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

Not that we are aware of. Thread had further videos - was battling to get them on bluesky so there’s been a bit of a delay.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

It’s unacceptable that five years on individual families have to fight for education support in the absence of clear guidance on the needs of - and more importantly how to meet the needs of children and young people with Long Covid #LongCovidKids #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

This is why Long Covid Kids recommendations to the inquiry are to correct the public health misinformation, provide clear guidance to schools and to listen to and learn from lived experience. #LongCovidKids #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

The education secretary needs to be a strong advocate for children, young people and their educators. Recognising their needs and pushing for these to be met. In respect of a number of areas including LC and clinically vulnerable families this was not achieved @cvcev.bsky.social #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

Gavin Williamson suggests the Department of Health and Social Care may have been who recommended they hold back on issuing guidance re #LongCovid to schools #LongCovidKids #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

Sarah Hannett KC: you could have told teachers in May 2021.. you could have helped children with Long COVID. #LongCovidKids #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 11h

Guidance is still to materialise! Why we developed educational toolkit to provide some guidance to parents/caregivers and educators on l common challenges that children and young people with #LongCovid were facing and supports that may help longcovidkids.org/educational-to…#CovidInquiryry

https://longcovidkids.org/educational-to…

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 12h

Asked about providing guidance to schools re #LongCovid Gavin Williamson suggests providing no information was better than incorrect information. It appears this extended to not even confirming its existence leaving families we support subject to disbelief and fines #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 13h

Keeping children, young people and their educators safe at school was an obstacle that should have been taken seriously - and still needs addressing. Clean air - Ventilation, Monitoring and Filtration all still needed along with guidance on when and how to use each. #CovidInquiry #LongCovidKids

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 13h

Other evidence doesn’t support this. The belief was that this was a respiratory virus and the focus was on the acute disease, not morbidity. Research is only now beginning to unpick which children and young people are really at risk of #LongCovid #CovidInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 13h

Gavin Williamson assessment on “obstacles” to kids returning to schools in January 2021 - I didn’t think it was justified - Covid wasn’t going to have an impact on children’s health - we had good understanding on which were vulnerable to covid. #LongCovidKids #CovidInquiry

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Reposted by Long Covid Kids

Dr Rachel Pope @prehistorian.bsky.social · 14h

Currently almost three weeks in to Covid in our house. The results of these inactions are still playing out 5.5 years later in our damaged immune systems.

Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

"At the time Boris Johnson admitted that scientific evidence was not appropriately prioritised by the Government at the time.
As a department that isn't involved in the health aspects of the pandemic you are waiting for a clear steer from those coordinating the response"

#LongCovidKids

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 14h

Gavin Williamson - Boris Johnson summer 2020 gave false sense of hope & belief

"What parents heard was the PM saying all your kids can go back to primary school before summer"

"But we all knew we weren't able to deliver on it"

"I felt it gave people a false sense of hope & belief"
#Schools

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 14h

Sir Gavin Williamson

"You add some actors, that the NEU for example, they quite simply opposed teaching in school and opposed teaching remotely as well, I am not sure what they expected teachers to do, but they didn't want them to teach in the pandemic "

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Sir Gavin Williamson
"the political reality is a number of people who thought if there was a cord they could pull that means they could stop schools returning in September - I think sadly and its disappointing to say this - they would of grabbed the cord and they would of tried to yank it"
#Schools

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Cabinet meeting document -

“schools should not be told of fall back plan as it would allow them to have an excuse not to open in September”

#Schools #Pandemic #Education #LongCovidKids

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Q - There was secrecy wasn't there, at the point in time the government had decided to reopen schools and was thinking about the contingency measures that might be required from Sept 2020 onwards.

A - How do you mean by secrecy?

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Q - Was there a reticence on the part of your department to seek advice for fear that it would be published and deal with it as amunission for not opening schools.

Sir Gavin Williamson denies not seeking SAGE advice for fear it would be published.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Q- Was there any realisation on your part that this could have profound implications for children?

A - The whole government policy - was about maintaining both the economy and schools to be open. I do not believe that significant weight was attached to scientific advise.

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Q - You are the Secretary of State for Education - are you suggesting you have to wait for No 10 to give you a steer?
A - We were probably over focused on the mission to keep schools open because that was both the political steer that we had and the policy steers we were getting

#Education #Schools

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

"At the time Boris Johnson admitted that scientific evidence was not appropriately prioritised by the Government at the time.
As a department that isn't involved in the health aspects of the pandemic you are waiting for a clear steer from those coordinating the response"

#LongCovidKids

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Clair Dobbin KC
Q - Is that answer suggesting you needed permission to think from Downing Street?

#Education #10DowningStreet #COVIDInquiry

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Long Covid Kids @longcovidkids.bsky.social · 15h

Clair Dobbin KC asks if at this stage it was well clear that the pandemic was out of control?
A - Yes it was much more widely spread
13th Feb - Warned school closures could last for wks
Q - This didn’t prompt you to think about what this could mean for children in this country?

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